On a recent trip to the Cotswolds we thought we’d take a trip to see Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm and his brand new pub The Farmer’s Dog, both made famous from featuring in the Amazon Prime hit Clarkson’s Farm.

Visiting this location is quite funny for me because out of all of my friends, I was the only person amongst them who hadn’t seen a single episode of the Amazon Prime show and I still managed to enjoy this visit despite being completely alienated from its origins and links to the show.
Upon arriving at Diddly Squat Farm there were hundreds of cars parked at the side of a very narrow country road which proved tricky to navigate as people clambered to the farm to queue up to shop inside.

This small little farm shop housed a whole host of farm goods with all the proceeds going towards supporting British farming. All of the goods sold within the shop (and the pub) were produced on Clarkson’s farm but expect to pay a pretty penny above what you would normally, rest assured you’re getting quality and if you’re a beer lover you’re really in for a treat.
Clarkson has a brand of beer named Hawkstone which is marketed as a premium lager. Not a huge beer fan myself I was curious as to what it tasted like and just behind the farm shop is a lovely little beer garden and drinking area for you to grab your own glass of Hawkstone along with some food.

It’s a lovely space and there’s a wall where people can write their names and leave little messages and I thought this was a nice touch, browsing amongst the messages there have been people visiting from all over the world including one couple from New Zealand! That’s quite the distance to travel to look at a farm shop but Jeremy Clarkson has made agriculture… cool? 
Hawkstone was nothing short of superb, it’s so light that there is none of that harshness that I always get from a pint of lager and on this sunny day overlooking some of the most scenic countryside views, I couldn’t have asked for a better day.

Priced at £6 a pint it’s definitely on the pricey side but certainly not the most expensive pint I had in London, that one came courtesy of The Phoenix Theatre for a showing of Stranger Things where a normal pint (not even a lovely premium Hawkstone) cost me a whopping £7.50! 
After navigating the queues of the farm shop we hopped back into the car and drove a good 20 minutes down the road to visit Clarkson’s recently opened pub. In a recent interview, Jeremy Clarkson said he was losing a fortune on the pub after investing £1 million to get the business up and running,

The Farmer’s Dog pub is not just any old pub but a tourist attraction and that is immediately obvious when you see the sheer size and scale of the car park, this place is built for the obvious crowds who are coming to catch a glimpse of any cast members (or even Jeremy himself) at this fine drinking and food establishment.
The beer garden and decking is beautiful with stunning views and there’s a giant tent from The Grand Tour in the beer garden that houses a farm shop along with a deli counter with all fresh meats and other produce from the farm.

Inside the pub is airy and modern with a lovely tractor hanging from the ceiling but it’s all done tastefully, it feels premium and the bar serves all things Hawkstone from IPA to even cider (which tasted very similar to Inches cider I must say).
The pub has caught some slack since it opened though however with some of the steep prices of the food including a steak pie with mash and gravy that costs £19 along with sausage of the day with mash and gravy priced at £18.

Yes, they’re steep prices but it’s all locally grown produce including the condiments so you’re paying a higher price for higher quality food and knowing where your food comes from and how fresh it will be compared to many other pubs might just be worth that extra few pounds, but that’s just my opinion.
Whilst we were basking in some rare British sunshine a friend of mine spotted a man called Charlie wandering around the garden and said “Sean, you have to have a picture with Cheerful Charlie” and me not having the foggiest idea of who this friendly fellow was hopped on in for a photo with ‘Cheerful Charlie’.

It was only when I got home and watched the show that I noticed Charlie appearing regularly in the show so that was a nice way to end what was quite a wonderful visit to Diddly Squat Farm and The Farmer’s Dog pub.
Hats off to Jeremy Clarkson for raising attention to British farming in such a grandiose way and for creating not only something beneficial to hundreds of farmers up and down the country but for allowing agriculture to be celebrated and appreciated through produce sales.

As someone who had never seen the show I still enjoyed my visit, I enjoyed the beer so much that I’ll be placing an order from the website shortly and whilst we didn’t get food at the pub on this occasion I’m sure I’ll be back to see if the pricing matches the food quality.
Until then, It looks as though I’m going to have to dive into the deep end and start binge-watching Clarkson’s Farm so I can get even more of an appreciation of where I’ve been and how it all came to fruition.

With a pint of Hawkstone in my hand, I bring this review to a conclusion as someone who has zero interest in farming and agriculture managed to have one of the most British and perfect afternoons for quite some time!
For more information on Clarkson’s Farm, you can check out the show HERE or if you want to see what things they have for sale at the farm shop they have an online store where you can buy all sorts of goodies.

You can check out the website for Clarkson’s Farm Shop HERE.