Jeremy Clarkson has admitted that he was 'naïve' about what goes into running a pub when he purchased The Farmer's Dog.
Avid fans of the motorist-turned-farmer will be more than aware that Clarkson has been working hard at contributing to the local economy of the Cotswolds through Diddly Squat Farm and his latest venture, The Farmer's Dog pub.
However running a pub - or a farm for that matter - is no picnic, with the 64-year-old regularly sharing an unfiltered glimpse into his work on hit Prime Video series Clarkson's Farm.
But it would appear that Clarkson may have bitten off more than he could chew with the pub, as he called his first Christmas at The Farmer's Dog a 'total disaster'.
Advert
Revealing that he'd received 'stern warnings' about the hefty costs of running a pub in his latest column for The Times, Clarkson revealed that his plan to plough on anyway hadn't been the smoothest one.
Recalling a particularly grim incident in which a staff member discovered there had been an accident in one of the toilets, he wrote: "No amount of festival visits would prepare you for the horror of what had been produced at the Farmer’s Dog."
The presenter went on to explain that he'd received a call from the unfortunate member of staff called him and after several minutes of 'retching noises down the phone', he discovered 'one of our customers had had a bit of an accident' in the outside garden loos.
Going on to explain the unexpected financial cost of the clean-up, he added: "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."
Sounds like a complete a s**tstorm.
The unfortunate toilet surprise wasn't the only expense the pub has faced in the past weeks either, with stolen pint glasses, generator costs and traffic marshals all burning a significant hole in Clarkson's pocket.
"It’s galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money on the farm. It’s worse at the pub." he wrote.
The pub's planned Christmas grotto has also run into difficulties, with staff also dealing with overgrown trees, unsold turkeys and making sure festive songs aren't playing during filming as artists' fees would 'dent the profit margins even more seriously'.
This isn't the first time that Clarkson has spoken about the difficulties of running a pub, with the TV presenter also previously revealing The Farmer's Dog opening say was a 's**tshow' behind-the-scenes.
Topics: Jeremy Clarkson, Clarkson's Farm, Food And Drink, Christmas
Brenna Cooper