Jeremy Clarkson confirms massive new farm venture – but Kaleb Cooper admits he’s “panicking”
Kaleb Cooper, the breakout star of Clarkson’s Farm, has been left “panicking” after Jeremy Clarkson confirmed that his Cotswolds estate will become the unlikely host of one of the UK’s largest agricultural exhibitions next year.
The former Top Gear presenter revealed in a recent interview with The Telegraph that the prestigious Cereals event – a huge two-day agricultural trade show drawing tens of thousands of attendees – will be staged at Diddly Squat Farm in June 2026.
“We are hosting Cereals, which will be enormous,” Clarkson admitted. “Kaleb is panicking. If every farmer in the country comes and he has done all the farming, they’ll be checking his work.”
The annual Cereals showcase is a cornerstone of the farming calendar, typically attracting between 25,000 and 30,000 visitors, including farmers, suppliers, and industry leaders. The event features everything from crop demonstrations and machinery exhibits to debates on the future of UK farming.
For Clarkson, the news came as something of a surprise. He confessed he had never even heard of the event until recently.
“It’s a trade [event] for farmers,” he explained. “They go to a farm, they look at wheat and talk about fertiliser. It’s coming to Diddly Squat next year.”
Clarkson Steps Back from New Business Ideas
The announcement comes at a time when Clarkson says he has no plans to launch any new business ventures, preferring to focus on what he has already built.
“I’m done with business now. I am not starting another business as long as I live. I don’t understand it and am not motivated by money. I just want a good craic.”
Despite that claim, Clarkson’s existing empire continues to expand. His pub, The Farmer’s Dog, which opened its doors in 2024, now employs a staggering 146 staff. It sits alongside his ever-growing rural portfolio, which includes the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, his hit Amazon Prime series Clarkson’s Farm, and the rapidly rising Hawkstone lager and cider brand, in which he remains the largest shareholder.
Hawkstone’s Meteoric Rise
If Clarkson thought he could slow down, Hawkstone’s numbers tell a different story. The brand has exploded in popularity, with sales nearly tripling from £7.8 million in 2024 to £21.3 million by March 2025. Today, Hawkstone supplies over 2,000 pubs across the UK and is stocked by major retailers including Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Ocado and Majestic Wine.
Beyond its commercial success, Clarkson insists the brand is helping revive Britain’s hop industry, which has been in long-term decline. Hawkstone now uses 100% British-grown ingredients in at least half of its products sold at The Farmer’s Dog pub.
“We were stuck on hops,” Clarkson said. “But if we can tell the hop growers of Britain that there’s enough demand to make it worth their while expanding, then that would make me incredibly happy.”
Business Stress vs. Farm Fun
Still, Clarkson admitted that corporate life isn’t exactly where his passions lie. While he thrives on the chaos of farming and the entertainment of television, the serious side of running Hawkstone has tested his patience.
“You have the farm shop, the pub and the TV show, which are all entertainment,” he explained. “Hawkstone is grown-up. I have to go to board meetings where people talk in a foreign language. We don’t even drink in board meetings—we are so busy using acronyms.”
Rallying to Save Britain’s Pubs
Looking ahead, Clarkson says he is considering launching a national campaign to support traditional pubs, which continue to close at alarming rates. To him, losing a pub means losing the heart of a community.
“If you no longer have a village doctor, policeman, school, shop, vicar, and if you lose the pub, then what is a village? It is just a collection of houses,” he warned.
His advice was simple:
“Go to your local pub on your way home from work. It benefits the individual and the pub.”
From a panicked Kaleb Cooper to an unexpectedly massive farming exhibition at Diddly Squat, Clarkson may claim he’s stepping back from business, but his world looks busier—and more influential—than ever.