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Jeremy Clarkson has just announced his Diddly Squat Farm Shop will be closing doors for the start of 2023. A statement on the shop’s website signalled its closure for January and February, with opening scheduled to resume on March 1.
“The original Farm Shop at Chadlington is closed for January and February. The pop up farm shop at The Farmer’s Dog Pub is open Wednesday to Sundays, 10am – 4.30pm,” reads the announcement front and centre on their homepage. Detailing their festive period schedule, the site also notes: “We are open on the 27th, 28th and 29th December. We will be shut in January and February, reopening on 1st March.”
Jeremy hasn’t elaborated on the reasons for this extended hiatus. This comes on the heels of a forced closure of the Grand Tour tent at his pub after it was damaged by Storm Darragh.
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There’s been no shortage of challenges for Jeremy since taking over The Farmer’s Dog pub in August, with Clarkson revealing to The Times that turning a profit has proven elusive, describing catastrophic scenes behind the scenes, especially the pub toilets which faced “horror” conditions.
Jeremy, a gastropub owner, has shared the overwhelming challenges he faces in his business, stating: “It was everywhere and in such vast quantities that no ordinary plumbing or cleaning equipment would even scratch the surface. So a whole team of chemically trained hazmat engineers had to be employed. That’s a cost I’d never factored into any of my business plans.”, reports the Mirror.
He also lamented the additional losses incurred as patrons steal glassware, adding to his financial woes. Jeremy detailed the hefty expenses involved in running his establishment, including: “That cost must be added to the £100 a day we spend on fuel for the generator, the £400 a week it costs to provide warmth on the terrace and the £27,000 a month we must spend on parking and traffic marshals to keep the council off our back.”
Despite a steady flow of customers, Jeremy expressed frustration at the difficulty of turning a profit: “It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm. It’s worse at the pub. The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.”
However, he ended his column on an upbeat note, sharing that celebrity chef Marco Pierre White had visited and praised the pub’s menu. Jeremy concluded with a mix of pride and humour: “And it’s warm and there’s a fire and the staff are friendly and young and happy. It’s a proper, traditional pub. By which I mean you’ll love it, and I’ll lose a fortune and develop a skin disease from the stress of running it.”
