What Jeremy Clarkson's pub is actually like, according to reviews

Jeremy Clarkson's pub The Farmer's Dog has been courting attention even before it opened its doors for the first time.

Now everyone wants to know what people love about The Farmer's Dog, in Asthall, near Burford in Oxfordshire and what are the biggest bugbears.

It recently caught the eye of a Michelin-starred chef Tom Aikens who shared his verdict on Clarkson's pub menu, telling Yahoo: "What Jeremy is trying to do is showcase the best of British farming and what it can offer. Jeremy is being pretty cut throat to himself and not allowing any produce that is non-British inside the premise. I think that it's great. It's a good, real way to stick to your guns about British farming, having your principles and really sticking to what you believe in."

Never one to shy away from controversy, the former Top Gear star won't sell ketchup or avocados or Coca-Cola because they cannot be sourced in Britain. The one exception to the British produce only rule to Clarkson's pub menu is G&T because the telly star felt he couldn't have a pub that didn't serve them to customers. Also, The Grand Tour presenter has banned a number of people from The Farmer's Dog, including Keir Starmer and his friend James May who cheekily quipped he wasn't bothered because he has his own pub anyway.

The Cotswolds is a long way for some people but already hundreds have been queuing to try out Clarkson's new venture. So what are the Trip Advisor reviews saying? We have taken a look at what the highlights are and some of the disappointments before you plan to make your journey.

£2 parking fee

There is a two pound parking fee for customers to park their cars in a nearby field. Pub-goers were divided over the payment. One customer shared their disappointment in a review titled "complete rip off". The customer added: "Arrived only to be charged £2 to park in a field." Someone else acknowledged: "Not sure the £2 parking fee would encourage me to come again."

However, the small parking fee wasn't all bad news because the money goes directly to the local farmer who is lending his field to Clarkson. This won't surprise Clarkson's Farm fans who know that the presenter loves to champion the nearby farmers in the Cotswolds.

Read more: Jeremy Clarkson's pub

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• All the people Jeremy Clarkson has banned from his pub

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One person wrote: "Parking was easy. Small queue to get in but moving steadily."

Another said: "As expected it was very busy but not chaotic easy to park in farmers field opposite £2 charge that goes to the farmer."

The Farmer's Dog location

Set in the Cotswolds landscape, it's naturally a beautiful area and pub-goers loved the stunning scenes surrounding it. Some of the glowing words used to describe the surrounding area included "gorgeous" and "beautiful".

Among the TripAdvisor reviews, one person wrote: "Great setting with big open landscape views and brilliant atmosphere to spend a day."

Another said: "Brilliant!, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience here. Only British food and what fantastic food it is. It’s in a wonderful setting. Well worth the visit."

Someone else said: "Absolutely stunning location and if we didn’t have such a drive home we would have happily stayed in the pub garden for the afternoon on a deck chair, taking in the views."

Jeremy Clarkson's pub menu and prices

There may be no Coca-cola, avocados or ketchup but the menu has gone down a treat with many of the pub-goers on TripAdvisor. People loved that the presenter was serving up British produce, something Michelin-starred Aikens liked too. The Sunday carvery price point was at £20 which the chef told Yahoo is "competitive".

Aikens told Yahoo: "Jeremy is showcasing the best of British farming in a pub and in his farm shop to the general public to really say, 'Hey, you can actually have pretty good food for a reasonable price' which is what he's doing.

"For a lot of people who can't sometimes afford to go out and eat. It's a great way to introduce them into having good British staples like the carvery and the Sunday Roast."

Among the comments on TripAdvisor, one person wrote: "It is great to see Jeremy and his pub promoting British produce and I will certainly be visiting again."

Someone else wrote: "I came here because I love good food and knowing JC's love of good food wine and beer, along with the fact only British produce is sold here, I thought it must be worth a trip."

Additionally, one person said: "I do admire what Clarkson has done; highlighting the difficulties facing British farming. I think by giving employment to do many young from the area is admirable. Highlighting local produce and giving a means for farmers to deliver it locally is brilliant."

Another person wrote: "The pub is lovely, the beer is great and the prices are reasonable too, I've seen other reviews moaning about the prices, really?? This isn't wetherspoons!"

There were only a few reviews who moaned about the prices, one included: "Value for money? £42 for 2 gammon steaks, we were underwhelmed."

Pub queues

Hundreds of people queued up to get their first glimpse inside the pub on the August Bank Holiday weekend. With Clarkson owning the pub and making the odd appearance, of course that interest has only continued to grow. Interestingly, pub-goers have shared their different experiences of the expected queues on TripAdvisor.

One person wrote: "It’s a pity Clarkson is so popular that parking is challenging and there’s a queue outside the door. Fortunately we had a reservation and could park near the pub before bypassing the queue. Once inside it felt a lot less busy than outside."

Another wrote: "Queued for about 45 minutes before being seated for the delicious carvery. Brilliant Service, despite being so busy you didn’t feel rammed in like I feared it might."

Someone else added: "I liked it. When I go to a World Cup Final or a big concert, part of the fun is the excitement of the banter and anticipation while queuing. And you can get a pint to have in it, so hardly a problem. A nice touch when the rain came, they managed to promptly move the queue inside, snaking around the piano. Anyway it's irrelevant as a booking system is planned soon."

Another had a different opinion writing: "The queue for the actual pub was horrendous, over 100 people, so we discounted that and went to the Hop and Chop tent."