Cotswolds – Jeremy Clarkson has revealed his latest scheme: buying a pub. But unlike the traditional village local, which has caused him no end of disputes over his booming Diddly Squat Farm Shop, Clarkson says this time he wants something different.
“I don’t want to buy a village pub,” the broadcaster and farmer explained. “Look what happened with the farm shop. The village went berserk because of the traffic. Don’t want to have that anymore. Don’t want to fall out with any more villagers.”
Instead, Clarkson is eyeing a coaching inn-style venue, ideally located on a main road, where he says he can channel the produce from Diddly Squat straight onto the menu. “We can take all of the produce from Diddly Squat and sell it at a pub,” he said. “It’s farm to fork. Exactly what everyone wants.”
A Brilliant Idea or a Risky Bet?
On paper, the idea sounds promising: fresh meat from his pigs, eggs from his hens, and affordable meals showcasing British produce. But critics and advisers around him were quick to point out the hard realities of the pub trade.
Since 2000, Britain has lost around 20,000 pubs—roughly a third of the total. Rising costs, staffing shortages, and changing drinking habits have all but strangled the traditional local. “That’s a thousand pubs a year,” Clarkson was warned. “You can see how tough it is as a business.”
Clarkson remains undeterred. “I’m not going to make a gastro pub where nobody can afford to eat,” he insisted. “I’m going to make affordable food.”
The Staffing Question
The bold plan raises another immediate issue: staffing. Hospitality businesses across Britain are struggling to hire and retain workers. Clarkson, however, appeared unconcerned.
“If all the pubs are closing, think how many people are out of work,” he reasoned. Asked about human resources, he looked bemused. “What’s HR? We didn’t have that when I worked at the Rotherham Advertiser,” he quipped.
But observers note that opening a pub could entangle Clarkson in more bureaucracy than farming ever has. From HR disputes to licensing laws, the road to running a successful pub is rarely as simple as serving pork pies and pints.
Farm to Fork or Folly?
Despite the hurdles, Clarkson insists the project could both support British farming and revive the struggling pub trade. “We’ve got pigs, hens, eggs, bread, pasta—all the usual things. I cannot think of a single reason not to do it.”
The question, however, is whether passion and produce are enough to buck a national trend. With 20,000 pubs lost in two decades, many wonder if even Clarkson’s star power can save the Great British pub.
For Clarkson, though, the mission seems clear: “How hard can it be?”
