Finally, a year since The Farmer’s Dog opened its doors, Jeremy Clarkson’s Oxfordshire pub is serving tomato ketchup.
This will be a relief for chip-eaters and burger-munchers in the area, as previously the beloved rouge condiment was banned from the menu in keeping with the pub’s exclusively British-grown policy.
Kudos to the former Top Gear presenter, 65, who has ensured everything on his menu is sourced on home turf to support UK farmers, as he contiunues to campaign for the industry through his Clarkson’s Farm venture.
Because Jeremy couldn’t find a fully UK-sourced ketchup, it was not on the menu and he even put a sign in place telling punters not to bother asking for it.
But now a UK firm Condimaniac has risen to the challenge with a sauce made from Isle of Wight tomatoes, Hampshire apple cider vinegar, Essex salt and British sugar, rosemary, carrot, and onions.
The Farmer’s Dog has placed an order on the ketchup, according to the firm, who have made over 1,000 bottles for the batch.
Condimaniac are making their own thickener for the sauce using onions and carrots, as there are no British tomato puree offerings, and make the ketchup by mixing this with the rest of their sauce ingredients.
The 100% British tomato ketchup is set to hit the shelves at Diddly Squat Farm Shop on Friday 15 August.
Boss Kier Kemp said that while the process has been a ‘rather fun’ investigation of sorts, it’s also been a ‘massive faff’ and very time consuming and expensive.
On the Condimaniac website, the sauce has sold out – at a price of £7.95 per 260g bottle – and been met with rave reviews.
‘Such a great tasting sauce,’ said Emily, while Holly raved: ‘So much nicer and fresher than any other brands around!’
Will said: ‘The best ketchup ever made! Will buy more.’
It’s a nice addition to The Farmer’s Dog, which Jeremy admitted in December was a ‘total disaster’ behind the scenes after he invested a reported £1,000,000 into the venture.
Writing in his column in The Times, he said: ‘It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm.
‘It’s worse at the pub. The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.’
An announcement on The Farmer’s Dog website explains their approach to selling British produce.
‘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,’ it wrote.
‘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.
‘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.’
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