Jeremy Clarkson has finally lifted his famous ban on ketchup at his Cotswolds pub, The Farmer’s Dog — but only because he’s found a version that meets his strict rules on sourcing.
The former Top Gear host, 65, had long refused to serve the red condiment at his pub and restaurant, arguing that it went against his commitment to using only UK-produced ingredients. Customers asking for it were politely told that ketchup simply wasn’t on the menu, no matter how popular it might be elsewhere.
But Clarkson has now agreed to offer a uniquely British-made tomato sauce, allowing the pub to sell ketchup for the very first time. The new sauce — retailing at £7.95 a bottle — is produced by Isle of Wight company Condimaniac, and is made entirely with ingredients grown and manufactured in the UK. Its recipe includes Isle of Wight tomato passata, apple cider vinegar from Hampshire, Essex salt, British-grown sugar, and onions sourced from across the country.
“Jeremy and the team support the British food and farming industry,” a source told The Sun. “He made no apologies for refusing to sell ketchup in the past, even if it disappointed diners. But the pub always maintained that if a truly all-British ketchup was ever made, it would be given a place on the menu. Now that moment has finally come, and hopefully it’ll be a success.”
The ketchup news came on the same day Clarkson took to Instagram to vent his frustration over the disruption caused by US Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the Cotswolds. The American politician, who is spending part of August in the UK mixing leisure with political talks, is currently staying at a Grade II-listed Georgian manor near Charlbury, Oxfordshire — just a few miles from Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm.
Security arrangements around Vance’s stay have resulted in a no-fly zone being imposed over the local area, which directly affects the filming of Clarkson’s Farm season five. With drones banned from the skies, the production team has been forced to cancel all aerial filming until the vice president departs.
Clarkson shared a map of the restricted airspace on Instagram, showing that his own farm sits squarely inside the no-fly zone. “The JD Vance no fly zone. We are the pin,” he wrote. “So on the downside, no drone shots today. On the upside, no annoying light aircraft.”
Vance’s UK trip has already sparked headlines. Earlier this week, he stayed at Chevening, the Foreign Secretary’s official country residence, where he joined David Lammy for a mix of fishing trips and high-level talks, including controversial discussions over whether Ukraine should cede territory to Russia. His move to Oxfordshire has brought heightened security and traffic disruption, with some locals voicing concerns over the scale of the measures.
Still, for Clarkson at least, the story of the week may not be the presence of a visiting US politician, but the unlikely arrival of ketchup on the menu at The Farmer’s Dog.
