by Jeremy Clarkson is set to open his pub The Farmer’s Dog this weekend and has revealed the menu for those keen to visit.
But while some fans called the simple menu “proper English pub food”, others complained about missing food options – including fish, vegan and gluten-free dishes.
Clarkson bought the pub in the village of Burford, Oxfordshire for less than a million and had previously said that it aimed to offer only British produce, ditching avocados and Coca-Cola.
The Farmer’s Dog will feature in season four of Clarkson’s Farm, which is currently filming but if you’re hoping to visit before the documentary, here’s what to expect.
Read more: What we know about Jeremy Clarkson’s pub opening over the Bank Holiday weekend
Clarkson’s new venture has seen a rapid turnaround and now the TV presenter has proudly unveiled the menu he is working on for the launch of The Farmer’s Dog’s.
He posted on Instagram: “The menu is starting to come together ready for the weekend…” along with a photo of the pub’s menu.
During the week, bar snacks include sausage rolls and pickled eggs or soup and a roll, while options with toast include chicken liver patty, pressed ham or garlic mushrooms and poached egg.
Main meals on offer are sausage and mash, gammon steak with bubble and squeak, Lancashire hotpot, steak and mash pie, or vegetable crumble and cheddar.
Desserts are apple crumble, cheesecake or strawberry meringue, and on weekends the pub will only have carvery.
Clarkson also shared a photo of a food truck called The Farmer’s Puppy which will cope with the expected high demand by setting up in the pub’s garden and serving up “delicious Welsh burgers and lamb sandwiches”.
People were quick to grab the food options that didn’t seem to include Clarkson, although the menu may not be the final version available.
One fan said: “No vegan or fish or gf,” as someone else wrote: “Pls try to offer a gf option.”
Many of the complaints were about the lack of fish and gluten-free options, but one person wrote: “Find out why there’s no fish, only local produce and a pub by the sea.”
Others asked why there were no Scotch eggs, steaks or sticky toffee pudding, but many praised Clarkson for his choices.
A fan said: “Proper English pub food. No fancy plate that nobody knows what’s on. Excellent. Good luck with it – I’m sure it will be a success.”
However, someone else made the same complaint repeated at farm shop Diddly Squat, predicting: “Burford is chaos over the bank holiday weekend and this will absolutely crush the place.”
Many also asked what the prices would be as one said: “It looks great but the lack of prices is making me cringe,” while someone else said: “Yes you know it’s expensive when they don’t factor in the prices.”
Clarkson has spoken many times of his aim to include only British produce on the pub’s menu, although he admitted he had made one exception.
He said: “I’ve tried my best to make sure that everything you eat in The Farmer’s Dog was grown or raised by Welsh farmers. And I’ve failed. Yes, the pork, the beef, the British lamb and venison, and so is almost everything else.
“You can’t have a pub that doesn’t serve gin and tonic. But tonic water contains quinine, and you can’t grow that in Britain. Sure, I could serve gin and water instead, but I don’t think so I think you would really enjoy it.
Clarkson ruled out other menu items, saying: “However, you can run a pub that doesn’t serve avocado or Coca-Cola, so we don’t.” Instead, it will be offering sparkling drinks made with fruit grown in Britain. There will also be British-grown tea, Hawkstone wine and beer.
He concluded: “We’re delighted to be doing all we can to support British farming and we’re delighted you’re here to help us. Thank you.”
Earlier this month, he asked X: “We want to go all British for the food at my pub. But we are struggling to find black pepper grown here. Can anyone help ?”
He later said they had found some, writing: “Cornwall is supplying our tea and our black pepper now. Go Cornwall.”
Clarkson has spoken many times about his dislike of avocados, saying he would ban the importation if he could and claiming they are damaging the environment due to the thousands of air they emit to the UK.
What can customers of The Farmer’s Dog expect from Jeremy Clarkson’s pub?
When Clarkson first bought the pub premises, he set out his vision in a column in the Sunday Times writing: “I also wanted a room that could be a clubhouse, providing, on wet weekdays, a mental health forum and a pint free for the nation’s farmers I wanted dogs and families around the fire. “
The TV star added: “A place I can go on a Sunday with my granddaughter for some gammon, eggs and chips. Well-priced, British-grown food with a pint of Hawkstone beer. And a warm fuzzy feeling inside.”
However, West Oxfordshire District councilor Liam Walker played down the opening of his new local, telling Yahoo UK: “A bank holiday weekend couldn’t have been the worst weekend to do it if I’m being completely honest, but you know it’s Jeremy, don’t you?”
