Clarkson's Pub - fun, but a one off

Warning: Hate and envy-fuelled lefties and bearded CAMRA-types look away now.

There are millions of us around the world who have enjoyed the marvellous Amazon Prime series, Clarkson's Farm. Series Four followed Jeremy Clarkson's travails in opening a pub in the Cotswolds. From my personal point of view it was particularly distressing to see so many of the places I enjoyed in my misspent youth and, er, adulthood, have closed down (and, of course, Starmer and Reeves are trying to deliver a knock-out blow to what remains).

Jeremy eventually found a site between Burford and Witney. There are some excellent food-lead pubs in that neck of the woods: The Swan at Swinbrook, The Bell at Langford, The Three Horseshoes (recently known as The Maytime) at Asthall, and others. Alas, this is an affluent area and prices are high - Google The Double Red Duke at Clanfield, but only if you are already wearing soiled underwear.

Armed with a substantial sum from his hard-work over several decades, Jeremy set about refurbing what was an empty cafe just off the A40. And he had to invest considerable resources - watch the programme and you will be stunned at the cost involved.

The result? A fun - crowded - mini-theme park run by excellent staff, but not the place to nip-in for a quiet pint! The main pub, The Farmer's Dog, is in the extended former pub (before the cafe interlude) - which I had been to a couple of times many moons ago. In the large grounds there is a huge "tent" containing a branch of Jeremy's Diddly Squat Farm Shop and another bar playfully named, The Farmer's Puppy. There are wonderful views from both.

I live in a poverty-ridden hell-hole where most pubs are on their arses and 25% of working-age people are on out-of-work benefits (Birmingham). The economic clouds get ever darker here and publicans of my acquaintance were terrified at what the absurd "Dry January" would bring (actually, so far, it has brought the closure of two very good Brum pubs - at least). Many places have been hideously quiet. Thus I was shocked on 15th December, 2025 when I went online to book a table for two for lunch at The Farmer's Dog on either the 22nd or 23rd January, 2026 only to find that there was no availability! If fact, to even stand a chance of getting a table in the main pub you have to book early. Here is the notice from the pub's own website - and they are NOT joking:

Thwarted in our ambition to break bread we turned up for a drink. This was at about 11.45  am on a wet and very dismal Thursday lunchtime. The area by the pub itself is reserved for blue badge motorists and we were directed to a large car park across the road. It was immediately apparent that this was no ordinary country boozer as there were FOUR attendants directing traffic - at a substantial cost to the bottom-line of the business. (And we are sure that number must increase in summer).

Walking to the pub we noticed the arrival of taxis (of which more anon). We walked through the farm shop and the Puppy where there was already a host of customers. At the main pub we met an immediate problem since we had no table for luncheon. Quite rightly, Jeremy does not want the hoi-polloi tramping through the restaurant to get to the famous terrace, but this creates a rather unfortunate problem since we had to actually take our drinks back outside the pub and then enter the terrace via a separate door. Not good that bit.

Obviously JC's Hawkstone Brand dominates the beer selection. (Later in the day I sampled an IPA elsewhere and was distinctly underwhelmed.) I had the only cask that I could see on offer - Old Hooky. It was acceptable rather than good, with a rather "first-pull" tang to it.

As we returned to the car yet another taxi was arriving together with a tide of humanity from the car park. Again - this on a grim January lunchtime. Quite incredible. 

We were staying the night in beautiful Burford and were amazed when locals told us that many folk regularly stay in the town and take taxis to Jeremy's pub! We actually met one such couple.

Personally - and as we are old farts - we will visit again although not in the summer when it must be manic there. And we will only go when we can get a table for lunch. But we really applaud this enterprise which is creating many jobs locally, not just at the "theme park" itself, but for local taxis, hotels etc. Plus, of course, Jeremy has been a stalwart supporter of local farmers and, wherever, possible, sources local produce for the shops and pub.

One caveat. We sincerely hope Jeremy will be around for a good few years yet, but clearly he and the TV show have been the draw for thousands of visitors. Quite how this enterprise will survive if he keels over tomorrow, we are not at all sure. But enough of that - this was a fun visit and a boon for the local economy. What's not to like? Go and see for yourselves.

Incidentally, we dropped in at the original Diddly Squat Farm Shop on the way back. Although very small, cars were flooding in on another miserable January day. 

On a final and slightly unrelated note, as we headed northward to Britain's "third city" we visited (for the first time in decades) - The Horseshoe in Shipston-on Stour (south of Stratford-upon-Avon). It's a cracker!

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The Thurd Sector #4 - Places in Common Limited

As we have pointed out in this series the Thurd Sector is crammed with lefties and self-declared, er, anti-capitalists. These jokers are adept at screwing the taxpayer (and others) whilst feathering their own nests.

In recent times a new crock of gold has become available via the climate change industry. As ever with the Thurds, there are layers of organisations feeding off one another - but usually with the taxpayer as the patsy. And the climate change lobby is viciously anti-motorist.

Places in Common Limited in bankrupt Labour Birmingham is actually a "co-op" - another type of organisation trying to feed off Britain's shrinking cadre of workers. Two of the original directors from 2019 are still running the show now - Bryan Nott and Labour Cllr Lisa Trickett (who earned £18,876 from taxpayers as a Councillor in the last municipal year). Originally there were two other directors, one of whom was also involved in a notorious Brum Labour-front Thurd Sector cash machine, The Active Wellbeing Society [sic] - another "community benefit society".

Two of the directors dropped away but Nott and Trickett were quick to appoint one Alice, er, Nott to their nice little earner. Could she possibly be related?

This "co-op" was set up ostensibly to promote [warning - load of w*nk ahead] "community development and local regeneration". The registered address is in that affluent and "trendy" suburb, Moseley. But almost immediately it pivoted to the riches flowing from the climate change industry. 

Here the position becomes a little complicated in that all the money (or a very substantial part of it) received by the co-op seems to have come from just two contracts to promote climate change. The first is with a Dutch Thurd Sector outfit called Climate KIC (although it also uses other names including its actual legal name, the snappy "Stichting Climate KIC International Foundation". It won't surprise readers of this series that the vast bulk of its funds comes from the EU and European governments. Happily, and despite Brexit, some of the euro loot is finding its way into the pockets of the Notts and Trickett.

The legal status of the second outfit, "West Midlands Route to Net Zero" is opaque. Birmingham University is involved as is the Labour-controlled West Midlands Combined Authority. Although it has a posh website (cost unknown) it is completely silent about its legal status and finances. I have written to it and will keep you posted. Suffice to say here that the notorious. appalling and viciously anti-car Brum Labour Councillor, Waseem Zaffar, is a member of the Advisory Board.

And what of the finances of the Nott/Trickett Co-op? Below is a table summarising the key financials. The "Directors" are also the "staff" of the Co-op and so the high "admin costs" entries reflect the dosh they are stripping out. Where stated the precise sums are shown in the bottom line of the table.

The actual "work" done seems to be writing reports and developing policy to promote climate change. Happily this has been very remunerative for our campaigning heroes.

After paying a bit of tax in the first couple of years the Directors have now paid none by reason of there being significant financial losses. These have been brought about by the large sums being grabbed by the Directors. In 2021 to 2024 inclusive the admin expenses have EXCEEDED the actual revenue coming in. Look at 2023! And in 2004 the Notts and Trickett only had revenue of £26,200 but paid themselves £31,500. In most businesses this would be wholly unsustainable yet the tap somehow keeps flowing. The figures below are in the public domain and have been submitted to the Financial Conduct Authority.

[The Directors will have to declare the income they are grabbing as part of their personal tax liabilities and potentially pay income tax on it.]

The "route to less than net zero" has been, indeed, taken and the Directors have gone beyond and deliberately ensured minus figures i.e. losses.

In the meantime, a new (Labour front) benefit society has been set-up to takeover the Kings Heath Community Centre from the failing Labour Council in a bent deal. Mug punters have been asked to part with their money for this via a crowdfunder. The crowdfunder, run by Bryan Nott, has failed but has simply been extended (and is currently at 69% of target if you are mad enough to want to invest).

The Board includes, incredibly, the Manager of the appalling local BID, or Business Improvement District, which has been shilling this project all along even though it has nothing whatsoever to do with improving business for the hard-pressed traders who are forced to pay extra tax (the levy) to trade in Kings Heath. Did I mention that, equally incredibly, Cllr Lisa Trickett is on the Bid Board?

And, of course, Bryan Nott and Lisa Trickett are also on the Board of the new Benefit Society where they will no doubt bring their financial acumen acquired whilst running Places in Common to the table. 

What could possibly go wrong?

Investors and BID levy payers - don't say we didn't warn you!

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Publicans: Beware the cash dinosaurs!

In my experience the sort of customers who insist on paying cash in pubs are total tossers. I once overheard an old git saying that he did not want the deep state tracking him - as if even a Chinese-style national surveillance system would be interested in the doings of a complete w*nker!

On the other hand, I am a “classic liberal” and it should be a decision for mein host whether to take cash or not. The fact remains that the number of cash-users is rapidly dwindling, and many publicans also have the difficulty of finding a bank branch locally to deposit takings.

In Brum there are now many pubs and bars which are card-only. Punters should respect that rather than giving staff a hard time. But some actively seek REVENGE …

Let me preface this yarn by explaining that there is a small chain of ghastly pubs in the West Midlands named “The Pub at …” followed by the name of what the imbecilic trendies call “the ‘burb” or “the ‘hood”. Next time you are in, say, Kings Heath shortly after 9.00 am take a look through the window of “The Pub at Kings Heath” and see the dregs of humanity already gathering within. They make a Wetherpoons clientele look positively exotic and upmarket!

There is one popular and delightful Brum pub - a winner of multiple awards - which is superbly run. It attracts a wide-section of the local community although, happily, not usually the sort who use the “Pub at …” chain. It encourages card payment and I have personally never seen anyone actually pay cash there.

One night four scumbags came in and ordered four pints. They then made a scene when asked for card payment. Wrongly, in my personal opinion, the pub backed down and took the cash. That should have been the end of it but one of the frightful foursome later posted a one star Google review. (Its current score is 4.8 out of five with a very clear majority awarding 5 stars.) Bizarrely, the only other one star reviewer complained about the staff - who are absolutely brilliant. Indeed, many Brum pub-users I know rate one as being in the top three bartenders in the whole city.

To add insult to injury, the querulous quartet then visited “The Pub at Moseley”, another outpost of the grisly toilets cum hostelries, and took to Google to give it a four star review! WTF?

Two lessons. I think:

1. Pubs should use clear signage if “card-only”; and
2. Don’t pander to morons.

[P.S. The EU, from which the UK is temporarily estranged (!?) is. with its usual obsession for regulation, considering making "card-only" illegal, and I am sure our new leftie elected dictatorship will somehow feel the need to follow suit.]

Cheers ...

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The British Legion - Don't tarnish the Poppy!

It is hard to be critical about ‘The Legion". Since 1921 it has provided much-needed succour to members of our armed forces and their families. The brilliantly-devised annual Poppy appeal continues to raise huge sums for the men and women who protect us all. 

The Legion’s obsequiousness to our grotesque monarchy is a problem for those of us who are not prepared to grovel before our hideous “royal” family. Ironically, The Legion is quick to "out" weirdos who appear at Remembrance and other events sporting fake uniforms and medals and yet the “royals” have turned such cosplay falsity into an art-form. Here’s “King” Charlatan III proving the point:

[Curiously, one member of this hereditary mafia who did win, and is entitled to wear, a Falklands Medal is the disgraced, Andrew - formerly known as “Prince”.]

The Poppy is such a wonderfully powerful symbol that ludicrous lefties have tried to hijack its success with the “White Poppy” (and similar) for deluded peaceniks to don. Presumably if we all wave these at the likes of Mad Vlad Putin, tyrants and mass-murderers will soon lay down their arms and take up crochet instead.

But we are not alone in feeling a little queasy when November approaches and the start of what seems to be an annual competition by individuals and organisations to show who cares most about our veterans. Indeed the first manifestation of this is the outbreak of Poppy-wearing WEEKS before Remembrance Day - even, or especially, on the BBC. Auntie literally employs underlings to stick poppies on anyone going on air.

Every village is in competition with its neighbour to produce ever more gross displays with ever greater numbers of poppies so that huge red gashes now spew from the tops of church towers and across graveyards. The ailing/failing mainstream media seizes on this fetishisation of remembrance to try and regain some relevance. The unfortunate trend has reached its apogee with the Disneyland of Death known as “The National Memorial Arboretum”.

The poignancy of the Poppy is well-expressed by The Legion itself. It is meant to be a humble symbol above political and religious sectarianism. Tell that to our politicians who use remembrance events to parade their own alleged credentials as caring people. The run-up to Remembrance Day is a chance to preen and, indeed, to have a right good laugh. This applies across the political spectrum. But witness, for example, the events in the corrupt Labour Dictatorship of Sandwell in recent times as described in the Sandwell Skidder blog.*

The War of the Wreaths.

Sandwell - near the bottom of every deprivation league table going after  half a century of total Labour control - witnessed an appalling incident actually at a Remembrance Day ceremony in a nasty place called Wednesbury. That town had a pecking order when it came to political wreath-laying whereby a representative of the party in government nationally laid the first tribute. Once, when the Tories were in power. a local Conservative stepped forward to do the honours. This was too much for a frightful, self-important tosser called Cllr Peter Hughes (Labour). He took the view that as the Labour dictatorship controlled the sh*thole Borough, he should lay the first political wreath. And so, to the amazement of all present, he barged in front of the Tory with complete disregard for the meaning of the ceremony and got the Labour wreath on the memorial first!

Oops, we’ve missed the photo op!

Sandwell Labour publish dozens of photos every November showing Councillors posing to remember those we have lost or who suffered egregiously during military service. There is no call for solemnity on such occasions and Councillors can have a laugh whilst enjoying the photo ops. Here’s Labour’s Liz Giles seeing the funny side [sic] of the occasion:

[And see further below.]

The Sandwell Labour Councillors are mostly thick as two short planks and sometimes forget that they are supposed to be using Remembrance Day for political propaganda. Thus, on one notorious occasion, having forgotten to get some snaps taken, they took the wreaths back off a war memorial and posed for pics before re-laying them!

Hijacking the Legion’s Poppy Appeal

Now Labour in Sandwell is also hijacking the Legion’s own Poppy appeal - incredibly, with The Legion’s consent! Once again there is no need for solemnity when grabbing The Legion’s stall and here Labour MP Sarah Coombes (West Bromwich) and Labour Cllr Pam Randhawa are seen clowning and having a high-old time.

Worse still, MP “Sicko” Sarah - incredibly - thought it appropriate to bring her own advertising pop-up banner along to promote herself at The Legion’s stall!  Sick or what?  Here she is with the offending item:

Incredibly, The Legion actually allowed this grotesque and disgusring pantomime via its local representative (who, to be fair, had done a good job before this shaming degringolade). It is entirely coincidental that he tried, a while back, for a Labour nomination to a Council seat in a ward which is now in Sicko Sarah’s constituency.

Send them naked to the battlefield

By the way, Sandwell Labour voted en masse for a showboating motion trying to stop the local government pension money from being invested in the UK arms trade. Apparently they “love” our armed forces but don’t actually want them to have any, er, weapons (or, at least, British-made ones).

And Nationally …

The ceremony at the Cenotaph each year has always been a big day for our preening “royals”. It seems appropriate that, usually, our Prime Minister should attend if s/he is inclined to do so but then a rag-tag band of opposition “leaders” also turn-up. We cannot let this piece finish without mentioning the absolute national  insult of terrorist-lover, Jerry (aka Jeremy) Corbyn, attending this national event (at the time representing the Labour Party). Some of the fallen being remembered were killed by his pals in the IRA. He did then, and still still supports terrorist groups across the globe. Rather than honour our forces his style of wreath-laying is this, honouring Palestinian terrorists in Tunisia.

We say:

Maybe The Legion can’t stop such national outrages - but it should make its views known. And to use a recent political slogan, it needs to “take back control” of the Remembrance Day events in which it is involved. Please do not let politicians tarnish the Poppy and commandeer your fundraising efforts (often run by marvellous volunteers).

Lest we forget:

James Reece (aka John Pugh) - killed-in-action near Delville Wood, France, 1916 - no known grave.

*   https://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.com/

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