- Jeremy Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog, aims to serve 100% British produce to support local farmers
- The only exception to this policy is tonic water, as quinine cannot be grown in Britain
- Clarkson also introduced a fully British-sourced tomato ketchup
Jeremy Clarkson has made a point of stocking up his pub with only the best produce on offer in these fair British Isles.
Well, mostly. The 65-year-old TV presenter’s boozer The Farmer’s Dog opened its doors over a year ago and has made it a mission to sell 100% British, as part of Clarkson’s efforts to support UK farmers.
To the extent that he recently banned a patron’s birthday cake from being brought onto the premises because it didn’t adhere to these strict rules.
But it turns out there are certain products The Farmer’s Dog does stock that aren’t produced on home turf, because not all pub essentials are.
Case in point: tonic water, according to an announcement on the pub’s official website about the rather exclusive policy.
‘I have tried my absolute hardest to make sure that every single thing you consume in The Farmer’s Dog was grown or reared by British farmers. And I have failed,’ reads the statement, presumably penned by Clarkson.
‘Yes, the pork, the beef, the lamb and the venison are all British. And so is pretty much everything else. The milk, the butter, the eggs, the vegetables and the fruit. We even cook in British oils.
‘But there have been some problems like, for instance, the simple G&T.
‘You can’t have a pub that doesn’t offer a gin and tonic. But there is quinine in tonic water, and you can’t grow that in Britain.’
He continued: ‘Sure, I could have served gin and water instead, but I didn’t think you’d enjoy it very much. Especially as, instead of a slice of lemon, you’d have been given a slice of turnip, or some potato peelings.
‘You can, however, run a pub that doesn’t serve avocado or Coca-Cola, so we don’t. Instead, we offer you British fizzy drinks made with British-grown fruit. And British-grown tea. And before you ask, yes, the wine is British too.’
There was a time when The Farmer’s Dog’s strict provision of 100% British (with the exception of the tonic water) meant they didn’t stock any ketchup.
In a pub, that feels like something of an oversight unless you really want to rile up the chip-eaters.
There was a sign in place telling punters not to bother asking for ketchup, until they managed to source some 100% tomato sauce – made from Isle of Wight tomatoes, Hampshire apple cider vinegar, Essex salt and British sugar, rosemary, carrot, and onions.
The 100% British tomato ketchup hit shelves at Diddly Squat Farm Shop in August. Is it as good as what Heinz has to offer? You’ll have to take a trip to Oxfordshire and decide for yourself.
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