Jeremy Clarkson Admits His New Pub Is “Costing a Fortune” and Unsure If He’ll “Ever Make the Money Back”

A Million-Pound Venture

Jeremy Clarkson has confessed that his new countryside pub, The Farmer’s Dog, has become a far more expensive project than he anticipated.

The Clarkson’s Farm star purchased and refurbished the once-derelict Cotswolds pub, reopening it earlier this summer after a major £1 million transformation.

However, despite the excitement surrounding its launch, Clarkson revealed that the business has proven to be an enormous financial burden.

“This place is costing us a fortune,” he admitted to MailOnline. “God knows if we’ll ever make our money back.”

Keeping Prices “Fair” Despite Rising Costs

Determined to keep the pub affordable, Clarkson has priced his menu at around £5.50 for a pint, £9 for small plates, and £19 for full meals.

Still, he insists that these seemingly moderate prices come at a loss.

Writing in The Times, the 64-year-old presenter explained that his commitment to using only British ingredients means that almost every dish costs more to make than it sells for.

“Your lunch, if it arrives at all, is costing us a lot more than it’s costing you – so please be kind,” Clarkson wrote.

He went on to highlight the stark difference between imported and locally sourced ingredients:

• Imported black pepper: £10 per kilogram
• British-grown black pepper: £100 per kilogram
• A sausage made from his own pigs: 74p each
• A sausage made from imported meat: 18p each

“I’m not a business-minded person,” Clarkson joked. “So I just filled my heart with hope, asked an AI program to find the average Cotswolds lunch price, and charged that. It’s possible that for every customer who comes through the door, I lose about £10.”

Kaleb Cooper Defends The Farmer’s Dog

Clarkson’s Farm co-star Kaleb Cooper has come to his boss’s defence, dismissing criticism that the pub’s prices are too high.

Speaking to Metro, Kaleb said:

“I’ve spent a little time there. It’s fantastic, it’s great, it’s really just a good traditional pub with good food, highlighting the quality of British produce.
I don’t think there’s any difference in prices to any other pub.”

Diversifying to Stay Afloat

To help balance the books, Clarkson is expanding The Farmer’s Dog brand beyond the pub itself.

His company, Baobab Productions Ltd, has applied to trademark the pub’s name with the UK’s Intellectual Property Office. The application covers a range of new products including:

• Microwaveable meals featuring meat, fish, poultry, or vegetables
• Pre-prepared sandwiches and sauces
• Branded kitchenware such as knives, aprons, crockery, and tea towels
• Clothing and headgear

The application was filed just three days before the pub’s grand opening, suggesting Clarkson had already been planning to turn The Farmer’s Dog into a broader business venture.

New Projects on the Horizon

Baobab Productions has also applied for additional trademarks, including “The Farmer’s Puppy” — a planned mobile kitchen — and “Hop and Chops”, which will be used for branded kitchenware, food, and drink products.

Clarkson hopes these expansions will help offset the pub’s mounting costs.

But for now, as he puts it, “This place is costing us a fortune.”

A Passion Project, Not a Profit Machine

While The Farmer’s Dog might not yet be the money-maker Clarkson envisioned, it clearly remains a labour of love.

The TV presenter’s focus on local produce, traditional values, and the British countryside has made the pub an extension of his Clarkson’s Farm philosophy — where hard work, humour, and a touch of chaos come together in true Clarkson fashion.