Jeremy Clarkson has encountered a severe setback at his pub, The Farmer’s Dog, as the Christmas season approaches. The celebrity, who opened the establishment in August, has faced criticism from customers amidst the festive bustle after disclosing his Christmas menu and imposing a one-hour dining time limit.
In his piece for The Times, Clarkson reflected on the pre-Christmas chaos, saying, “Behind the scenes, then, everything is a total disaster.” He acknowledged his lack of experience regarding the massive project which reportedly has cost him over £1 million and on which he is “losing a fortune”.
Despite being aware of the widespread pub shutdowns throughout the country and the challenges in turning a pub profit, Clarkson had initially thought “it would all be fine,” only to later concede, “I was wrong.”, reports the Express.
Describing an unsightly scenario at the pub’s washrooms, he commented, “No amount of festival visits would prepare you for the horror of what had been produced at the Farmer’s Dog.
“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.”
He also disclosed that numerous pairs of his glasses have disappeared, noting: “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.”
“And that’s before you get to the cost of employing people in Starmer’s Britain these days.”
Further expressing his frustrations, he shared: “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, Clarkson finished his piece with a more upbeat perspective, mentioning famous TV chef Marco Pierre White had praised the food on his trip.
He continued: “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.”