Jeremy Clarkson fans divided after pub visitor shares receipt for Sunday roasts at The Farmer's Dog

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

He's been taking a hard line on moaning diners lately, going so far as to ban one from his pub when they complained about high prices.
And now a string of Jeremy Clarkson fans have risked igniting the wrath of their hero as they took to Facebook to pick apart another customer's receipt.
Joanna Teresa, a visitor to The Farmer's Dog in Asthall, Oxfordshire posted a picture of her bill to the social media site after a Sunday lunch at the establishment on June 8.
The hearty family meal out came to £174.04 including five roasts, some drinks, sides and a service charge.
Bravely defending the price of her feast at The Farmer's Dog, the customer gushed about her culinary experience once she had made it into the packed pub.
'Went to the farmers dog yesterday, what a lovely experience,' she said.
'Very busy but once we were in the pub for our meal it was a relaxed atmosphere, the food was delicious staff were brilliant.
'Great price for 6 roast dinners & drinks. Highly recommend.'
Joanna coughed up £24 for a roast beef dinner, with those looking to tuck in to a beef and pork medley required to part with £26.
A portion of honey and mustard chipolatas cost £5 while an extra Yorkshire pudding added £1.50 onto the bill.
When it came to drinks, Clarkson's Hawkstone Premium lager were priced at £7 per pint - Joanna's group indulged in two of these - while a medium glass of white wine set the group back another tenner.
Fizzy drinks and apple juice were £3.40 each, bringing the total to £154.70 before a 12.5 per cent service charge was slapped on.
Fans were left bitterly split when an inevitable debate over the pub's prices kicked off, with a group of critics picking holes in the receipt.
One said: 'Why add a service charge. You can't get your food unless they serve it and walking from kitchen to table is the same whether cost of food is £10 or £100. Why can't restaurants just price the food including their overheads?'
Another added: '£7 for a pint is a bit excessive.'
A third posted: 'Looks great but £24 for a Sunday lunch should include the Yorkshire pud.'
Fans were left bitterly split when an inevitable debate over the pub's prices kicked off, with a group of critics picking holes in the receipt
Another said: 'Your having a laugh if you think paying £24 just for a roast beef is value fk that I won't be visiting any time soon at them prices.'
And a fifth added: 'My wife's serves up better portions than that! Looks average at best.'
But a rebel group of Facebook users boldly backed Clarkson and the prices at his farm pub.
One follower posted: 'Six drinks and six meals. Not bad price.'
Another said: 'You guys moaning about the price - don't go, its not compulsory geez.'
One added: 'A lot of whinging going on here…Geee you lot better not come to Australia, that's cheap.'
A fourth posted: 'It's the whole experience you're paying for So really it's Great Value.'
And another user said: 'You're paying a bit extra to help British farming and support British produce, that's fine by me.'
But a rebel group of Facebook users boldly backed Clarkson and the prices at his farm pub
A sign near the bar of The Farmer's Dog makes it clear that the establishment is '100% British', meaning it is teeming with fresh local produce but there is no Coca-Cola or lemonade available.
It comes after Clarkson banned a customer from his pub for complaining about the high prices on his menu - and it's not for the first time.
Fellow names on the exile list from The Farmers Dog in Asthall, Oxfordshire include Keir Starmer, James May, and Richard Hammond.
But the most recent customer to incur the wrath of the former Top Gear presenter, 64, is not quite as famous.
The spat occurred after one visitor accused the TV presenter of not caring about his customers.
They took to X to share their shock at paying £24 for a pie and vegetables and wrote: 'Thought @JeremyClarkson wanted an affordable pub for customers. £24 for pie and veg is a bit much.'
And another X user piled on, claiming they couldn't wait for cheaper US cuts of beef to bring down the price.
They wrote: 'Dead weight for British beef is far too expensive £6.89/kg for R4L down from the record high £6.98/kg earlier in the month.
'I can't wait till we get US beef cuts here because British beef industry is now taking the piss at those prices.'
And the suggestion didn't go down well with the Clarkson's Farm show host who simply wrote: 'You are now banned from the pub.'
Since it opened last summer, Clarkson has made sure to only use British products in his meals but his approach has not always gone down well with customers.
Earlier this year visitors revealed they were unimpressed after noticing several items, including ketchup and Coca-Cola, were missing from the menu.
Because Clarkson's pub only uses Great Britain's produce to support British farmers - some common condiments aren't on offer.
Clarkson's reluctance to make any small exceptions to the rule means he loses £10 for every customer who eats at his restaurant, as home-grown products are much more expensive.
He said in a column for The Times: 'Now, a business-minded person would look at these costs and realise that with British-only rules in place, a hotdog was going be priced at about £45.
'But I'm not a business-minded person. So I just filled my heart with hope, asked an AI program to work out what the average price of lunch in a Cotswolds pub is and just charged that.
'It's possible that for every customer who comes through the door I'd lose about £10.'
Prices for a main meal at the picturesque pub start at £20 for Wye Valley asparagus and garden pea Pearl barley.
For a steak pie, masked potato, carrots, seasonal greens and gravy, customers have to fork out £24 and for sausage and mash, it'll set them back £21.
The soup of the day starter with sourdough bread and butter costs £8.50 while the ham hock terrine costs an eye-brow raising £11.
But the prices don't seem to have put customers off and it seems locals and tourists alike are flocking to The Farmer's Dog - at the expense of other local boozers.
Earlier this year it was revealed that a historic country pub in the nearby village is up for sale after their business dropped dramatically.
The Three Horseshoes has been serving the quaint Cotswolds community since the 18th century - but since Clarkson's latest venture just a mile away has proved the more popular.