How is Diddly Squat Restaurant - Permanently Closed restaurant rated?

Diddly Squat Restaurant - Permanently Closed

4.9

34 Reviews

£41 and over

British

Top tags:

Before making your booking, you should know it’s small, mostly outdoors and very rustic. Ordering a beer or going to the lavatory isn’t as easy as in your local pub and we don’t cater to the faddy. We’ve done our best to keep you warm and dry, but this is England. On the upside, the view is enormous and almost everything you eat was grown or reared on our farm, so it’s fresh with minimal food miles. There is no menu as such - we simply serve what’s available that day. But worry not, your table will be given a selection of snacks and starters followed by a roast and a pudding. Our bread, made with Hawkstone lager is absolutely brilliant. We even have a tiny VIP room housed in an old shepherd’s hut. This seats four (just) but it is dry and warmer than outside. We will even serve you a complimentary bottle of English sparkling wine. Don’t scoff. It’s very good. This is a restaurant like no other. Apart from one I went to in Croatia once. And which served me the best lunch I’ve ever had

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

Dining areas

Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
British, Italian, Farm-to-table
Hours of Operation
Mon, Thu–Sun 12:00–22:00
Website
https://diddlysquatfarmshop.com/
Payment Options
Cash not accepted
Dress Code
Casual Dress
Executive Chef
Pip Lacey

Location
5 Chipping Norton Rd, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 3PE
Area
Chipping Norton
Cross Street
NO WALK-INS - RESERVATION ONLY. BOOKINGS FROM SATURDAY AT 16:00 ONWARDS.
Parking Details
Private Lot
Public Transit
For anyone driving, please look for signs for parking for the restaurant which will available in a field opposite the Farm Shop. Once parked, please let a marshal know you have a booking for the restaurant and they will provide you with instructions of where to go. Please follow all instructions provided to reach the restaurant and avoid walking in the road where possible. Please make sure you take care when crossing the road.
Additional
Chef's Table, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View

What 34 people are saying

Overall ratings and reviews

4.9

4.9 based on recent ratings

4.9Food
4.9Service
4.9Ambience
4.8Value

Noise • Moderate

34 Reviews

CB
CaitlinB
Oxford
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Absolutely fantastic food, definitely not what I would usually order but a brilliant experience overall!
1 person found this helpful
OT
OpenTable Diner
London
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 July 2022
overall5food4service5ambience5
Food was outstanding. Even my 13 and 15 years old ate everything on offer and had to fight over what's on offer . Really glad to enjoy this experience (weather help a bit with hottest week of all time)
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SM
SamM
London
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 17 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Great food, setting and experience. Excellent quality, locally produced food with an inventive menu for rural Oxfordshire! Has the charm of Clarkson's Farm too, which is an experience in of itself. Will return!
1 person found this helpful
J
Joanna
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Such an amazing experience! The location was great with a wonderful view. We were sat inside the lambing shed so it was pretty cool. The food was exceptional and the chef came over to chat with us for a bit which was lovely!
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N
Niknak78
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fabulous experience. We went with no great expectation of food quality. However, it surpassed the quality of some meals I’ve had at top restaurants. The staff are lovely and friendly and everything was well organised.
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K
Kevin
Southwest Florida
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
We had a great time and the food was excellent. The staff was very accommodating to our needs with what resources they had available.
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c
cteece
Hampshire
3 reviews
5.0
3 reviews
Dined on 17 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Not going to lie, it felt like being in the south of France! The weather was glorious, the hay was high and the setting was rural bliss. I had read a really helpful review that gave me a heads up of what to expect, and that review was bang on. We arrived and got directed to the lambo tractor, which loaded us up and bumped down to the outhouse. There was an arrangement of about 10 circular tables with umbrellas across the gravel, and the tables had been laid and looked rather fabulous. We had decided to sit inside, which had some really cute pictures of farm animals (really hope the cows weren’t the ones that ended up on my plate) and a very Clarkson neon sign that said “Yes, we have no vegetarian food” (which it turns out, was incorrect - no doubt that’s somewhat annoying to Jeremy). We could watch the chefs, and look out over the fields… it was lovely. The food and drink was great. The 5 course tasting menu of beef, beef, beef, beef and beef was really tasty. I’m dreaming in the pomegranate sauce. We got taken in a Land Rover back to the main entrance for the loo (which were some very clean portaloos) which was a bit funny. I expect toilets near the outhouse would be a good idea in future, but these would need building… no one wants to see (or smell) portaloos from the table…! I would totally go back, it was really something special. Not sure how they’d cope with the British rain though ☔️
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G
Georgie
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 17 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fabulous food and beautiful setting, great experience
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Los Angeles
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 16 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
A fun place to go, setting is wonderful with great views, the staff were very attentive and the no menu food was the best, the whole experience was wonderful.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Bedfordshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 16 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Fantastic evening. We had the best weather and views were gorgeous Every course was superb and spacing was perfect! Highly recommend
1 person found this helpful
LB
LauraB
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 16 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Just a lovely experience from the tractor pick up. The food was fantastic the chefs came round and spoke to everyone and explained about the food for the meal. We felt very privileged to have been able to experience the dining experience. I hope they get to carry on
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MP
MermaidPinkWine
Warwickshire
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 16 July 2022
overall5food5service4ambience5
A real homage to both the produce from the farm and the raw beauty of the setting; what a fantastic meal. If you allow yourself to relax, enjoy the freedom of not having to choose from a Hungry Horse blockbuster of a menu, and accept that Clarkson can sometimes get it very, very right, you’ll be in foodie heaven in one of Middle England’s finest dining locations. The headline here shouldn’t be about the lack of vegetarian food. The real news is that somehow, they’ve pulled off both a nod to the homely yet sophisticated French way of eating, staff who clearly love, live and breathe what they do, the lack of pretension when serving up what they know is superb quality meat, the main garnish being love, care and a Gallic shrug of take it or leave it, I’m hooked. My children ate Steak Tartare today, and loved it - that’s my headline!
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c
charleneh
Bath
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 15 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Absolutely amazing experience. Fine dining in the middle of a field. 5 star food, great service, the most beautiful view. We went for my sons 18th birthday and it’ll be an evening he will never forget as a certain someone came and said hello! Overall just a great evening.
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JR
JoanneR
Las Vegas
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 15 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
It was so much fun, something completely different, food was great, service lovely and the view to die for. My family absolutely loved the experience. Such a shame it only lasted 2 weeks
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E
Eliz
Dublin
2 reviews
4.0
2 reviews
Dined on 15 July 2022
overall4food4service4ambience4
Definitely an experience! We enjoyed all of the food provided, the beef croquettes were excellent, and the salad with the main course. We thought the pasta was a little thick and perhaps a cheese course could be added? A great idea of Jeremy’s to showcase local produce. Staff were really friendly. Book it.
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HM
HollyM
London
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 14 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
The staff went above and before, such a British experience - the food was incredible, amazing experience getting moved around by tractor. Not to mention the views - I would highly recommend x
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OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 14 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Delightful experience and utterly unique. Sitting next to an old stone sheep cote in the middle of a field and being served course after course of sophisticated, delicious local fare - can’t be beat. Front of house staff were superb - friendly, efficient and clearly enjoying making this improbable venture work. Just enough of Jeremy’s sense of humor to remind you where you are but that is all woven into the overall sense of care that has gone into creating this experience. Surprising. Delightful. We’ll be back.
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BH
BelindaH
London
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 14 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
This was just the most perfect dining experience; glorious setting, fabulous, creative food from Pip Lacey and her team. Thank you!
1 person found this helpful
OT
OpenTable Diner
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 11 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
We booked for my daughter finishing secondary school, the setting was beautiful, from start to finish the experience was amazing, we arrived and were welcomed at the rustic desk, which is a nice touch, we then boarded a tractor carriage and made our way down to the rustic style restaurant that actually wasn’t as rustic as described, it has been finished to a very high standard. We were shown to our table which was seated inside, ordered drinks, it was so nice to be able to have drink choices for the children that weren’t simply fizzy pop!, my son and I really enjoyed the fresh elderflower drink, the food came out, the bread was yummy, whipped beef dripping was erm different yet not unpleasant, each course that came tasted amazing and I would never have put half of the ingredients together but it worked!, there was a lot of food, which for the small price paid I wasn’t expecting. It wasn’t simply a meal but a proper dining experience, and I highly recommend it to everyone, we would definitely go again. I would love to be able to order many of the dishes that were served to us, as main meals, especially the melt in your mouth beef fondu thingy, if that was served with Mashed potatoes and greens it would be a perfect addition to any menu, as someone who doesn’t like cheese I would order that time and time again. We would highly recommend this dining experience to anyone, it is a perfect addition to our small town.
1 person found this helpful
CK
ChrisK
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 11 July 2022
overall5food4service5ambience5
If you’re a fan of Clarksons farm you will love it. You park at the farm shop and get taken down to the restaurant (in the middle of A crop field) in the Lamborghini tractor. The food is a 7 course fine dining for £49 per head. The food is delicious but was seriously let down by tue desert which was strawberries in a milk and honey drizzle which I found awful. When you’ve finished eating you get taken back via the lambo to the car park.
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OT
OpenTable Diner
Oxford
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 11 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
A fantastic experience all round. The welcome from staff was amazing and friendly. We all felt from the moment of arrival we were looked after and all staff clearly wanted us to have a great time and nothing was to much trouble. The tractor rides added to the fun. To be towed in the trailer of the Lamborghini tracker made my son’s day and to be fair added to the experience and the occasion. At the restaurant the food was tasty, full of surprises and delicious. The restaurant is not ‘stuffy’ and the food is of quality you would expect from a very good restaurant. The overall ambiance was amazing with an unbelievable view of the Cotswolds countryside. The service was again excellent. We would highly recommend a bottle of the apple juice with your food. What an excellent way to spend a summers evening! Well done to Jeremy and his staff and crew.
1 person found this helpful
MG
MarkG
Buckinghamshire
1 review
4.0
1 review
Dined on 11 July 2022
overall4food4service4ambience4
A fun experience shortly after it opened and we had a lovely evening. All the staff were attentive and friendly. We waiting 30mins before being ‘tractored in’ but the weather was great so that wasn’t an issue. The food was all tasty, locally sourced of course, a nice menu - fixed - but ultimately we came for the fun and experience - which was delivered. My one recommendation to Mssrs Clarkson & Co is that they allow guests to bring their own wine, and charge a corkage fee in lieu of that, since no wine was available and not everyone wants to drink Hawkstone beer or a shandy etc.
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SH
SarahH
Oxford
6 reviews
vip
5.0
6 reviews
Dined on 11 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
What a great location for this restaurant amazing view brilliant fun service and excellent food No idea why the Daily Mail had to give it “Bad News” but I suppose that’s the daily mail for you… give Jeremy Clarkson a bloody break - according to the NFU he’s done more for Farming and Local businesses in the past few years than anyone has in 20 yrs Let’s hope this restaurant continues as does his farm shop (yes causes chaos and I should know I live down the road) and his farm
1 person found this helpful
HB
HowardB
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 11 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Dining at Didley was an exceptional experience. Customer service was fantastic and the food delightful.
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k
karenb
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 11 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
A fabulous evening to remember. It started with an adventure in the trailer, taking us down to the rustic barn. It was all set out smartly on a glorious summers evening. We were surprised to learn we were having 6 courses, all beef and local produce. Each dish was beautifully presented and each with unique variations on beef. The staff were welcome, friendly, they got the balance right between causal and professional. Alcoholic Drinks need to be brought at the top barn - we loved the diddly squat elderflower shandy and cider. There’s even a toilet run service - back to the shop/car park if needed! A very special evening with fond memories made
1 person found this helpful
JH
JosieH
Kent
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 11 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Absolutely amazing setting and such delicious food from Diddly squat, made magical by Pip and her team. What an experience.
2 people found this helpful
FT
FrancesT
Hampshire
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 10 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
The restaurant is located in the most wonderful location, in the middle of fields with a lovely view. The food was great, a set 5 course menu.
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JB
JezB
Oxford
2 reviews
5.0
2 reviews
Dined on 10 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
An amazing experience
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W
Wiggy
Oxford
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 10 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Brilliant in every aspect - a little bit of farming and showbiz gave it that little extra. I hope they are allowed to keep it going, great way to share a farming and food experience
1 person found this helpful
MA
MAGIC
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 10 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Amazing unexpected visit atbthe restaurant where we was taken by Kaleb Cooper. We were transported to the restaurant on the middle of the field by famous (to big) tractor with a trailer where we was seating. At the restaurant we was very welcomed by the staff and they recognised us basednon the previous radio communication with a reception desk. Our table was located under the roof where kitchen and film crew was placed during their filming of the episodes. Menu was introduced very carefully and kids was served as a first (smart move) then us. Very tasty and visually appealing appetizers. The meal has a 5 meals and all of them was very delicious. Very active "restaurant" staff and as for the 3rd day of existing of this place they did a very good job. Kitchen Cheff and his support did amazing job there, in the middle of nowhere. All of the ingredients was feom Jeremy's Farm and we like it. We wasn't first time on the farm and for sure not the last time. ~Magic
1 person found this helpful
OT
OpenTable Diner
Kent
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 10 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Amazing experience a must do
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EB
EmilyB
Oxford
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 9 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
Best experience really enjoyed the whole day. My children thought the restaurant was great and loved meeting Jeremy.
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PB
PeterB
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 9 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
- We had the privilege of enjoying the VIP room. Expertly styled by Lisa, it was just large enough for our family of 4 with a view of the kitchen on one side and views looking across Jeremy's farm the other. - The food, somehow the word "food" devalues what I would describe as plates of magic. We thoroughly enjoyed an 8 course degustation of which circa 99% of the ingredients were produced there on the farm. This championing of local produce is a fantastic demonstration of what really can be achieved by our amazing farming community and the quality was exceptional. - The service, we could not want for more, we truly felt like VIPs. All the waiting staff were engaging, relaxing, attentive and eager to ensure we enjoyed every element of our evening. - MEANWHILE.... We were greeted by the owner, Jeremy and his wife Lisa, we were also transported from the carpark by shuttle tractor, driven by one of the local farm hands, Kaleb. They were extremely friendly, down to earth and a pleasure to talk to, Kaleb even sang happy birthday to our 9 year old son. Overall the entire experience was something we will remember for the rest of our lives. Thank you to all the people at the farm that made it possible and what it was.
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KR
KatieR
Miami - Dade
1 review
5.0
1 review
Dined on 9 July 2022
overall5food5service5ambience5
We visited opening night and our experience was absolutely fabulous. We are big fans of the show but even if we weren’t, this was an experience we would seek to repeat. Delicious, local food and amazing service. The waitstaff was attentive and very, very accommodating. Our two children dined with us and they were equally enchanted with the experience and their meal. The farm views at sunset were unlike any other - the sun was dancing on a never ending sea of wheat. We are from Florida and it topped an ocean view in our minds. We are spoiled by good food and special experiences and this was a truly memorable evening in every way you’d expect. Support farmers whenever possible. Great work Jeremy, Lisa & crew! Thank you so much.
1 person found this helpful

FAQs

Diddly Squat Restaurant - Permanently Closed is rated 4.9 stars by 34 OpenTable diners.

Permanently Closed

This restaurant is permanently closed.

5 Chipping Norton Rd, Chipping Norton, Oxfordshire OX7 3PE

Dining areas

Additional information

Cross Street
NO WALK-INS - RESERVATION ONLY. BOOKINGS FROM SATURDAY AT 16:00 ONWARDS.
Area
Chipping Norton
Hours of Operation
Mon, Thu–Sun 12:00–22:00
Price
£41 and over
Cuisines
British, Italian, Farm-to-table
Dining style
Casual Dining
Dress Code
Casual Dress
Parking Details
Private Lot
Public Transit
For anyone driving, please look for signs for parking for the restaurant which will available in a field opposite the Farm Shop. Once parked, please let a marshal know you have a booking for the restaurant and they will provide you with instructions of where to go. Please follow all instructions provided to reach the restaurant and avoid walking in the road where possible. Please make sure you take care when crossing the road.
Payment Options
Cash not accepted
Executive Chef
Pip Lacey
Additional
Chef's Table, Patio/Outdoor Dining, View

Website
https://diddlysquatfarmshop.com/