Series four of Clarkson’s Farm, filmed last year, was launched on Amazon Prime last month, documenting the ex-Top Gear man’s life at his Diddly Squat Farm in the Cotswolds and his journey to becoming a publican.
In the latest episodes, released last week, the TV presenter turned farmer and pub operator takes advice from some well-known friends.
After telling the cameras he is “losing sleep” over all the issues and with the pub, Clarkson calls on former co-presenter James May, director Guy Ritchie, singer James Blunt and journalist Piers Morgan, all of whom have owned pubs, for their top tips.
Blunt warns Clarkson “drink-driving is an issue” at country pubs, adding recruitment can also be challenging.
Additionally, Morgan forewarns Clarkson about theft, for example glassware, from pubs.
But the cost of getting his Burford pub, named the Farmer’s Dog, ready to welcome the public was the main thing worrying Clarkson.
For example, umbrellas to cover the decking were estimated to cost £40k, toilets renovations came in at £100k and roof repairs had a bill of £150k.
Cost pressures
The new decking alone cost the TV star around £40,000, on top of a £40k bill for new furniture and a new £35,000 kitchen.
“My dream of owning a pub and opening it by the bank holiday is slipping away”, Clarkson despairingly told viewers.
When asked if he thought buying the pub was going to be the “big purchase”, he replied: “I thought I’d just put a new bar in and open it up.
“My notion of opening the pub for £25k was massively wide of the mark", he added.
Ritchie and May both discussed cost pressures faced by operators across the sector, including energy prices, insurance, maintenance and staffing costs.
“It looks like you are making £50,000 a week but then it transpires you are losing £10,000 a week", Ritchie said.
In addition, May told Clarkson there was an “avalanche of naysaying” within the industry.
The new episodes also highlighted the planning difficulties faced by operators, largely demonstrated by the pub needing new disabled parking.
Clarkson also recruited two pub-opening experts in episode five, introduced as Sue and Rachel, who explained the “smiley waitress pulling a pint” was just 1% of the operation when running a pub.
Simple operation
He also brought in chef Nick, who operates a site in nearby Stratford, Warwickshire, in episode six to help curate the menu.
Clarkson told the chef of his plans to use beef from the cows at his Diddly Squat Farm, which he took on in 2020, at the pub, however, Nick told him this would make the menu too big and cause storage issues.
The chef told Clarkson the menu needed to be simple and feature one cut of beef per week, for example rump steaks or slow-cooked feather blade, on a rotating basis.
“The kitchen operation has to be simple. People need to be served reasonably quickly both for their enjoyment and the business”, he explained.
Following this conversation, Clarkson started making a plan to introduce a butcher’s and farm shop at the pub, which opened across the bank holiday weekend in August 2024, to sell the extra cuts of meat.
The series also showcased the sustainable side of brewing, with spent grain from Clarkson’s Hawkstone Brewery used to feed the cows at the Diddly Squat Farm.
In the previous episodes of the fourth series, Clarkson shared his plans to open a pub with farm manager Charlie Ireland, who raised concerns over the idea.
The final two episodes of Clarkson’s Farm series four are set to be released on Friday 6 June.
