Jeremy Clarkson blasted for £85 pub menu featuring 'squirrel and fried brain' (2025)

Jeremy Clarkson has come under fire for a new menu advertised on the social media page for his pub, The Farmer’s Dog.

The former Top Gear star, 65, opened the doors to his Cotswolds pub in August last year, followingthe success of his Diddly Squat farm shop.

He spent a reported £1,000,000 on the venture, and has since revealed how difficult it has been to make a profit after facing a series of ‘total disasters’.

Since it opened, Clarkson has suffered immense backlash for the prices with merch costing up to £60, while pints were £5.50.

He’s now revealed a new ‘dare night’ menu, for a whopping £85.

But the advertising hasn’t gone down well with fans, after an AI-generated image was shared on the Instagram page for The Farmer’s Dog.

In it, a pie with bunny ears popping out was placed on a table alongside a squirrel on a chopping board and small animal brains served up on a plate.

The menu is also said to include ‘outrageous’ items like stuffed lamb’s hearts, crispy squirrel and pan-fried brain.

Clarkson teased: ‘Fed up with beige, safe food? Want to try new things? Difficult things? Weird things?

‘Well if you’re intrigued, join us at the Farmer’s Dog for the evening on April 28th, 2025.

‘This is not an event for the faddy or those of a vegan disposition, as will have a menu filled with all the things that people normally discard.

‘You might hate half of it. But you might go home with a steely determination to eat stomach lining as often as possible.’

The Farmer’s Dog website also reveals the ticketed event, taking place on April 28, will be filmed for Clarkson’s Farm.

An announcement adds: ‘Jeremy & the team at the Farmer’s Dog are very excited to bring the inaugural ‘Dare Night’ event to our dedicated patrons.

‘Whilst the evening is, as Jeremy says, not for the faint-hearted, it will be replete with memorable dishes and novel foods that will live long in the memory.

‘The ticket includes three courses plus canapés, all served in the small-plate style on large sharing tables, and will feature the weird and wonderful.

‘From the unconventional like veal sweetbreads, roasted bone marrow and stuffed lamb’s hearts to the down-right outrageous like crispy squirrel, snail caviar and pan-fried brain, this menu is certain to both challenge and delight.’

The image shared on Instagram has been slammed by followers, with one person, James, writing: ‘This is just gross why would you eat a squirrel.’

‘If you have actually cooked a squirrel that is disgusting! Wtf,’ Julie said.

‘Not anything that moves should be eaten!’ Ian added.

Alex said: ‘Is that roadkill you have found at the side of the road and not mowed down?’

@gibong8 slammed: ‘I think you are a barbarian.’

‘Yuk,’ Cindy simply commented.

‘I wasn’t of a vegan disposition but I might be now,’ @matthewlaidlaw wrote.

‘Sorry but wtf,’ @laujscott added, while @linds_tuck wrote: ‘Instant unfollow lol.’

‘Disgusting I got this as a suggested post, vile,’ Katie said.

Some hoped it was a very delayed April Fools’ Day joke, while others took aim at the use of AI for the image, with @bjerv1989 writing: ‘Using AI is lame.’

‘AI isn’t art. Come on now Jeremy,’ @shohannie said.

‘Sometimes, his genius is frightening!’ James said, while Mark wrote: ‘£85 a ticket, you total mugs.’

This comes after it was revealed some food items are actually banned at the pub.

A Birmingham Live journalist wrote in her review: ‘The Farmer’s Dog isn’t just a gimmicky experience, the food is really good, it’s well presented and served with pride. I love that everything is produced nearby.’

However, she revealed the pub has a ban on coffee, ketchup and lemonade, and claimed there’s a sign outside explaining they don’t serve the first two and was told about the third when asking for a cider shandy.

Clarkson prides his pub selling local produce, with an announcement on his website reading: ‘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.

‘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.’

He explains that the quinine found in tonic water doesn’t grow in Britain, saying: ‘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.’

However, the pub doesn’t serve avocado or Coca-Cola, and instead offers ‘British fizzy drinks made with British grown fruit’, as well as British tea and wine.

Metro has approached The Farmer’s Dog for comment.

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