Following the success of his farming venture Diddly Squat, Jeremy Clarkson has bought a Cotswolds village pub, The Windmill in Asthall, for £1m.
The former Top Gear star plans to turn it into a luxury destination, depicting his attempts to become a pub landlord in a new TV series.
But the TV presenter will have his work cut out for him competing with the best rivals in the area…
Jeremy Clarkson has bought a Cotswolds village pub, The Windmill in Asthall, for £1m.
Clarkson plans to turn it into a luxury destination – he portrays his attempts to become a pub landlord in a new TV series.
But the TV presenter will have his work cut out to compete with the area’s other top destinations, writes CHARLOTTE GRIFFITHS
Bull, Burford: Zen naniness… and an Idris Elba poker table
Described as “50 shades of cosmopolitan luxury with zen, dynamism and extravagance.”
Owner: Matthew Freud, billionaire PR guru, whose ex-wife was the daughter of Rupert Murdoch. He is said to have led a libidinous life, fathering five children by three different women.
Location: The elegant Oxfordshire town of Burford, ‘the gateway to the Cotswolds’.
Vibration: Freud’s belief that “human connection is the most powerful drug: the antidote to many things.”
Bull in Burford was created by Matthew Freud and even has a poker table donated by Luther actor Idris Elba.
Freud (pictured) is said to have led a libidinous life, with five children by three different women.
Rooms/Food: 18 rooms and four restaurants, including the Hiro restaurant with its 14-course tasting menu. It follows the Japanese Okamase philosophy, whereby diners respectfully let the chef decide what is best (only in the Cotswolds can sushi be considered country pub food). It also has an outdoor barbecue for £90 per person. Dining room with thirty seats, where food arrives in the middle and people serve themselves.
Price:£210 per night to stay in The Drunk Tank suite with a super king bed, rainfall shower and uneven floor.
Flash toys: A poker table donated by actor Idris Elba, who plays Luther. A refurbished, monogrammed Land Rover Defender. A bright blue padel court for mini-tennis lovers and a DJ playing techno music in the garden on Sundays. Works by famous artists adorn the walls, including Andy Warhol, Banksy, Salvador Dali, Damien Hirst and Francis Bacon.
The Highway, Burford: Welcome to ‘Freud in the World’
If we needed any more proof that the Cotswolds is the new Notting Hill, Matthew Freud, right, has closed his London club Laylow and is opening his new Cotswolds venue next week.
OwnerFreud is aware of local complaints about the risk of turning Burford into a “Freud-on-the-Wold”. His other venue, the Bull, is two doors down. His son George, who will run it, has worked hard to win over locals, who cannot afford to go into the Bull. “When you get to a certain level of wealth, you lose the value of money,” George jokes.
The highway in Burford is being opened by Matthew Freud, who recently closed his London pub Laylow
Location:Burford, Oxfordshire.
Atmosphere: Matthew, who is aiming for authentic Cotswold style and “stripped-down luxury”, promises he will be “true to the details of the building”. But the tapas served at his Toro restaurant may not be so…
Rooms/Food:11 rooms on three floors.
PricesFreud plans to win the ‘Cotswolds holiday war’ by offering the area’s cheapest luxury hotel with rooms for ‘just’ £220 a night.
Flash toys:Unlike Bull, there aren’t any, on purpose. Not even televisions in the bedrooms.
Soho Farmhouse, Great Tew: a ‘chic Butlins’ for Meghan
The first of London’s private clubs to embrace rural living.
Founder: Nick Jones (husband of BBC presenter Kirsty Young), who sold 80 per cent of the club to tycoon Richard Caring.
Location:Great Tew, Oxfordshire, today the “Beverly Hills” of the Cotswolds. Built on the site of a disused farmhouse and empty cattle shed, it proved so popular that when it opened, the Beckhams moved in next door.
Built on the site of a derelict farmhouse and empty cattle shed, Soho Farmhouse proved so popular that the Beckhams moved in next door.
Vibe:”A country retreat for people who would otherwise never go to the countryside,” says Conde Nast Traveler. Originally known as “Posh Butlins” for its corrugated iron buildings, it’s now THE place to see west of W1. Meghan Markle certainly thought so when she held a two-night hen party here ahead of her wedding to Prince Harry.
Rooms/Food: 114 rooms, including 20 farmhouse cottages. Five restaurants, including Pen Yen, which specializes in izakaya-style Japanese dishes cooked on a robata grill, along with rolls and sashimi.
Prices: A night’s accommodation in a Piglet room costs £295 – quite a lot for a flimsy wooden camping space shaped like a pigsty.
Flash toys:Vintage electric milking carts transport visitors around the 40-hectare property. The outdoor swimming pool (heated to 35°C all year round) is located within a lake.
Estelle Manor: £750 to sleep in the stables
Rural outpost of popular celebrity venue Maison Estelle in London’s Mayfair.
Owner:Sharan Pasricha, left, is the 43-year-old Indian chief executive of the Ennismore hotel brand, whose first foray into business was selling sandwiches to her mother at primary school. The mansion’s original owner was the artist and hostess Lady Evelyn Mason, who established a hospital for soldiers in Mayfair during World War I.
Location:Eynsham, Oxfordshire.
You can sleep in the stables at Estelle Manor for just £750 per night (or £2,500 in the woodland cottage)
Rooms/Food:The Grade II-listed Georgian-style mansion on the 85-acre estate cost tens of millions of dollars to refurbish. A favourite of London-based oligarchs, Tatler magazine says: “Its opulence makes Soho Farmhouse look like a Wetherspoons.” The Brasserie serves seasonal favourites, from Oxford cheddar soufflé and Alaskan king crab to roast cauliflower and beef Wellington. Bread and butter is £5. The Billiards Room offers Chinese dishes and a dim sum brunch at weekends.
Deals:Chei nei tsang, an ancient Chinese stomach massage, will help cure your “emotional bad digestion,” while an Ananda facial (meaning “pure happiness” in Sanskrit) promises a radiant complexion. There’s also a large Roman-inspired spa.
PriceA night in the forest cabin costs £2,500 or you can sleep in the stables for a bargain £750 a night.
Flash toys: Four pastel-coloured Land Rover Defenders and four miniature Defenders (‘Little Landies’) for children aged two to five. Archery, axe throwing and clay pigeon shooting.
Wild Rabbit, Kingham: The doyenne of Daylesford’s home
Popular hideout for DFLs (descendants of London).
Owner:Lady Bamford, wife of JCB magnate Lord Bamford and doyenne of Daylesford’s organic food scene.
LocationThe Oxfordshire village of Kingham is packed with sandstone cottages and food-loving hikers.
Vibe:Cotswolds at its finest, with exposed wooden beams, exposed stone walls and ivory upholstery.
The Wild Rabbit in Kingham, owned by Lady Bamford, is a popular haunt with Londoners.
Lady Bamford is the wife of JCB magnate Lord Bamford and the doyenne of Daylesford’s organic food scene.
Rooms/Food:Suites named after rabbits, owls and hedgehogs maintain the country-chic vibe. The kitchen “celebrates traditional British cooking” such as the £18 rabbit leg starter with peas, mint and Melba toast or the £90 tasting menu.
Deals: The Club by Bamford, a fitness complex where King Charles nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson offers tips such as how to combat a hangover with milk thistle. Guests are encouraged to take walks and ride pastel-coloured bikes through the countryside, and there are Land Rover Defenders on site. Wellness guru Chloe Hodgson teaches walking classes called “embracing the outdoors”.
PriceA night in the farmhouse pantry, now a cosy retreat for two, costs more than £500. Cottages cost £800.
Flash toys:Outdoor gym, so guests can connect with nature.
