Jeremy Clarkson and his partner Lisa Hogan have been praised by fans and pub patrons following Storm Darragh’s impact on his business this past weekend.
Punters at the Farmer’s Dog were met with powerful winds and torrential rain in Asthall, near Burford, Oxfordshire, and as a result, Clarkson and his team were forced to shut the pub’s neighbouring farmshop and butchers.
The pub remained open, however, with the business’ Instagram page warning fans: “Take Care. This picture wasn’t taken on the terrace of our pub this evening!
“It’s warm and cosy inside by the fire with delicious British farmed food and drink – but it’s windy outside so If you are coming for dinner with us tonight and would prefer to move your booking to January instead – we will happily accommodate you.
“If you are still coming along be careful of parking in the wood where there could be branches flying about in the wind – park up nearest the pub..#backbritishfarmingdrinkhawkstone.”
For those who braved the journey amid such miserable conditions, it turns out there was a treat in store from Clarkson and Hogan themselves as they went the extra mile for their supporters.
Jeremy Clarkson opened the Farmer’s Dog in August
PA
Earlier this week, one fan revealed on a Clarkson’s Farm fan page on Facebook: “We were at The Farmers dog pub last night, we had a booking so we went, the weather was so bad roads were horrible to travel on.
“We got there and were told they were making the decision whether to remain open. Staff were lovely and we were kept up to date. They decided to stay open and we had a lovely Christmas meal.
“Jeremy and Lisa arrived to check on the staff which was really thoughtful. They were genuinely worried about our safety to get home. Thank you for a lovely evening and hope everyone got home safe and you were able to remove the damage tree in your car park xx.”
Before long, the pub goer soon received other messages from other punters who’d received similar gestures of goodwill from the Clarkson’s Farm duo.
One fan replied: “They’re great. I drove up from the south coast on Wednesday, went to the farm shop first thing then onto the pub just before midday but unfortunately couldn’t get in because car park was full and overflow car park was a bog and we didn’t want to have to get towed out.
“We went into Burford and still had a nice time and a great meal in a pub there. Lisa saw a post where I said what happened and sent a message to say sorry about the car park situation and she hoped we still had a nice time. She didn’t have to do that.”
And another similarly applauded: “That’s what a real publican would, all these corporate pubs are just filled with managers, who now a days don’t even live on site…
“Jeremy’s pub sounds like a great place and it shows in his concern for your safety and his staff’s safety, hats off to him he is very passionate about his farm and his pub.”
“What a nice thing to do. The pub sounds great, hope to visit one day,” a third said while a fourth praised: “It shows that Jeremy and Lisa are real people and not just TV celebrities.” (sic)
Away from the pub, Clarkson and Hogan had reason to celebrate earlier this month.
