Jeremy is closing his super popular farm shop for two full months, but didn’t offer a reason why (Image: PA)
, the host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and former Top Gear presenter, has announced a significant closure at his Diddly Squat Farm Shop. The news was shared on the shop’s website, stating that the store would be shut for the next two months throughout January and February, with its final day of operation being December 29.
A banner on the homepage reads: “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.”
The closure was further confirmed under the opening hours tab, which stated: “We are open on the 27th, 28th and 29th December. We will be shut in January and February, reopening on 1st March.”
However, Jeremy has not disclosed the reason behind this extended hiatus. This announcement follows shortly after the Grand Tour tent at his pub had to be closed due to damage from Storm Darragh.
The news about the two month closure comes just days after Jeremy, who took over The Farmer’s Dog in August, addressed other challenges he faced with the establishment.
Jeremy Clarkson has temporarily closed Diddly Squat Farm Shop (Image: Getty)
Jeremy recently confessed to The Times about the difficulties in making a profit from the inn, describing “horror” scenes in the pub toilets as one of the issues, saying: “No amount of festival visits would prepare you for the horror of what had been produced at the Farmer’s Dog.”
He has also revealed the staggering challenges he faces running his gastropub, including a plumbing nightmare that required a specialist hazmat team to resolve.
He lamented: “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.”
On top of this, Jeremy disclosed that patrons have been pinching glassware from his establishment, piling on more unforeseen expenses.
He detailed the financial strains in his Times column, saying: “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, turning a profit seems an uphill battle for the TV personality.
He expressed his frustration: “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, not all is doom and gloom; Jeremy shared a glimmer of hope when celebrity chef Marco Pierre White paid a visit and praised the pub’s extensive menu.
He concluded with a mix of pride and resignation: “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.”