Jeremy Clarkson isn’t exactly known for doing things quietly. Whether he’s running a farm through sheer stubbornness or launching a pub where even the pepper has to be British, he’s become one of the UK’s most unexpected food-and-drink entrepreneurs.
Yet, every time it looks like he’s finally hit the limit of his side quests, he pops up with something even more surprising.
In recent years, the former Top Gear presenter has gone from TV personality to Cotswolds farmer with a knack for turning chaos into a business plan. His Amazon Prime series has turned Diddly Squat Farm into must-visit territory; his pub, The Farmer’s Dog, has become infamous for its 16-mile rule: where everything served in the pub must have been sourced from within that radius.
What’s more, his alcohol brand Hawkstone has carved out a loyal fanbase with its ‘100% British’ credentials. Still, even by Clarkson standards, his latest move has sparked fresh debate among fans.
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That’s because after months of teasing new developments for Hawkstone, Clarkson has revealed an unlikely new partner for the brand: Five Guys.
The fast food chain will now be serving pints of Hawkstone lager in its restaurants, after Clarkson confirmed the news in an Instagram video.
Customers, he said, would be supporting British farming simply by ordering a pint.
"Elite combo tbf," one fan commented.
Someone else wrote: "That's actually impressive."
A third said: "Genuinely thought that was ai at the start lol."
A fourth added: "F**k me what a combination."
Others questioned how pairing up with the US multinational fast food chain supported his ‘100% British’ ethos.
But one person claimed: "Thankyou Jeremy. Me and my husband are one of the main growers and washers of the potatoes for five guys. We are based in Lancashire!"
It follows a patch of headlines around Clarkson’s increasingly rigid British-produce rules at The Farmer’s Dog.
Last month, the pub hit the spotlight after a customer was told they could only bring a birthday cake if it followed the same local-ingredient standards.
As the pub explained in an email, according to The Sun: “As part of our commitment to back British farming, we kindly ask that only 100% British food products are brought into the pub, this sadly includes birthday cakes.”
Clarkson has been frank about how costly these principles have become. In his Times column, he admitted that black pepper alone costs ten times more in the UK compared to buying abroad, adding that if he priced dishes honestly, ‘a hotdog was going be priced at about £45’.
Instead, he joked: “[I] asked an AI program to work out what the average price of lunch in a Cotswolds pub is and just charged that.”
Those instincts haven’t seemed to do him any favours, though, as he followed up with: “It’s possible that for every customer who comes through the door I’d lose about £10.”
Ben Williams