Jeremy Clarkson's food empire just got much bigger thanks to a surprising new partnership
Ella Scott
Featured Image Credit: Kym Illman/Getty Images
Jeremy Clarkson’s foray into food continues with a new partnership planned for his ever-expanding food empire.
Can you believe it’s been more than four years since Clarkson, 60, turned an abandoned lambing barn on his Chipping Norton farm into the Diddy Squat Restaurant?
Despite the rustic al fresco venue being shut down within a matter of months by the local council, it paved the way for The Farmer’s Dog, the broadcaster’s country pub, which refuses to sell any produce that isn’t British, including coffee.
The Clarkson’s Farm hero, who recently revealed his cancer diagnosis, also has the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, managed and co-founded by his girlfriend, Lisa Hogan.
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The Cotswolds emporium is known for its delicious local produce - exactly why it was handpicked to fuel the BWT Alpine Formula One Team at the British Grand Prix on Sunday (5 July).
The event saw Ferrari pair Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, alongside Mercedes’ George Russell, making the podium; Alpine drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly came in ninth and tenth, respectively.
Ahead of Silverstone, the Formula One team announced that it had recruited the 2020-founded Diddly Squat Farm Shop to provide a ‘range of locally sourced food, produce, condiments and beverages’ to keep the Alpine squad ‘well fed and hydrated’.
“Diddly Squat Farm is just a stone’s throw from Enstone, and the team has twice already enjoyed sampling locally brewed Hawkstone drinks as part of its celebrations for Formula One podiums in Monaco in 2023 and São Paulo in 2024, a promise and tradition kept by local farmer Jeremy,” a press release stated.
“Jeremy has often spoken of his passion for Formula One and his admiration for his local team, ‘the Chipping Norton Formula One Team,’ to whom he continues to offer support.”
According to the notice, Clarkson’s business delivered some ‘authentic British dishes’ for Colapinto and Gasly to sample ahead of the British GP.
In an interview with the Alpine F1 Team at Silverstone, Clarkson said it was a ‘pinch me’ moment being ‘tied’ to the event in a ‘small way’.
However, the ex-Top Gear favourite, who also supplies Hawkstone beer to the team, said it would cost him ‘a fortune’ if one of the drivers ended up making the top three.
“That’s the only drawback,” he joked.
Meanwhile, in a press release, Hogan claimed it was a ‘great pleasure’ to team up with Alpine ahead of Silverstone, adding that to ‘play a small role’ in Silverstone was ‘certainly quite special’.
Steve Nielsen, managing director for the Alpine F1 Team, said: “We are delighted to rely on Diddly Squat Farm to supply us with local farm food this weekend at Silverstone.
“As a team, we have enjoyed an excellent relationship with Jeremy Clarkson who has been very supportive of us for several years. It’s great that we are able to help promote British farming and highlight the importance of farming to the local area.
“Our base at Enstone is surrounded by farms so we are well aware and full of admiration for what farmers do in bringing food to our tables.”
He added: “It’s a special occasion to bring local food to Silverstone to keep our team and drivers well fed this weekend so thanks to Jeremy and the team at Diddly Squat Farm for their on-going support.”
Clarkson and Hogan’s partnership with Alpine comes just months after the Diddly Squat Farm Shop began selling its produce via Ocado.
The world’s largest dedicated online supermarket signed an exclusivity deal with the celebrity business, meaning you won’t find the products anywhere else.
So anyone who doesn’t live near the Chipping Norton favourite but fancies a packet of Shortbread Diddly Dunkers or a tub of red onion marmalade can now get their fix.
Other items on sale include oak-smoked rapeseed oil, chilli pasta sauce, rich blackberry jam, and ‘Proper’ piccalilli chutney.
Those with a sweet tooth can try out the Little Turds, AKA chocolate-covered honeycomb balls or packs of traditional buttery fudge.
At the time that the partnership was announced, Hogan said working with Ocado was a ‘natural step in making our farm more accessible to customers across the country’.
“Diddly Squat has always been about celebrating British farming in a hands-on, practical way, from what we grow to how we share it with people,” she said, adding that the collaboration allows the business to ‘stay true to its roots’.
Lucy Silver, partnerships lead at Ocado Retail, said: “Diddly Squat is an exciting brand to have on site and allows us to deliver a farm shop experience to our customers’ doors.
“We’re always looking for ways to support British products and expand the choice of local produce for our customers.”