Jeremy Clarkson, the well-known host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire and former Top Gear presenter, has revealed a major closure at his Diddly Squat Farm Shop - after suffering a disaster last month. The announcement was made on the shop's website, which stated that the store would be closed for the next two months throughout January and February, with its last 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 hasn't revealed why he's taking this extended break. This news comes shortly after the Grand Tour tent at his pub had to be closed due to damage from Storm Darragh.
Jeremy, who took over The Farmer's Dog in August, has spoken openly about other challenges he faced with the establishment. Jeremy recently admitted 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.", reports the Express.
Jeremy has also recounted a plumbing disaster that was so severe it required a hazmat team to fix. He said: "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."
Adding to his woes, Jeremy also revealed the issue of customers swiping glassware, stating: "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 the influx of patrons, making a profit at his establishment is proving tough.
Jeremy expressed his frustration, saying: "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, there was a moment of praise when celebrity chef Marco Pierre White visited and complimented the pub's ambitious menu.
He ended his statement with a touch of both 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."