Jeremy Clarkson, famed presenter of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and former Top Gear personality, has declared a noteworthy closure at his Diddly Squat Farm Shop.
The official announcement came via the shop's website, letting customers know that the business would be closed during January and February, with December 29 being the final day of trading before this hiatus.
A clear notice on the homepage of the site 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."
This break is also indicated in the 'opening hours' section of the website which notes: "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 furnished any reason for the prolonged closure. This development follows a recent mishap where the Grand Tour tent at his pub had to shut down after sustaining damage from Storm Darragh, Gloucestershire Live reports.
Only days before this two-month closing was made public, Jeremy - who undertook The Farmer's Dog establishment in August -spoke to The Times of various obstacles he has faced with the pub.
He shared the difficulties in making a profit and expressed disdain over the condition of the pub toilets, saying: "No amount of festival visits would prepare you for the horror of what had been produced at the Farmer's Dog."
The 64-year-old has spoken out about the astonishing challenges he's faced in keeping his gastropub running, including a disastrous plumbing issue that required a team of specialist hazmat engineers to clean up.
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Clarkson shared his troubles, saying: "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."
In addition to this unexpected expense, Clarkson revealed that customers have been stealing glassware from the pub, further adding to his financial woes.
In his Times column, Clarkson detailed the significant costs of running the pub, including £100 a day for generator fuel, £400 a week for outdoor heating, and £27,000 a month for parking and traffic management to appease the local council. Despite a steady stream of customers, the pub struggles to turn a profit, leaving Clarkson frustrated.
He wrote: "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, a visit from renowned chef Marco Pierre White, who praised the pub's extensive menu, has been a rare bright spot amid the financial struggles.
He summed up his feelings with a mixture of pride and resignation, asserting: "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."
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