Jeremy Clarkson reveals his Farmer's Dog pub was stung for £27,000 last week
Jeremy Clarkson has revealed that his pub, The Farmer's Dog, was robbed of £27,000 last week.
The Top Gear star, 65, renovated The Windmill barn near Burford and reopened it as The Farmer’s Dog in August 2024.
Season four of Clarkson's Farm covered its chaotic build-up, with constant permit issues and staffing exits.
His ambitious farm-to-fork approach was also proving to be problematic, as his rule of only using British produce and British drinks meant that things like Heinz Ketchup, Coca-Cola and black pepper weren't on the menu.
Advert
Given how difficult it is to run a pub, Clarkson told The Times earlier this year that he refuses to start 'another business as long as I live'.
And the issues keep on coming after The Farmer's Dog was recently subjected to a costly cyber attack.
In his column for The Sun, he claimed that the pub was hit by the 'same hackers who blitzed Jaguar and M&S'.
M&S were struck by a ransomware attack, which was believed to involve the Scattered Spider group back in April, with a statement from the company on their website saying that 'the nature of the incident means that some personal customer data has been taken, but there is no evidence that it has been shared'.
They added: "To proactively manage the incident, we immediately took steps to protect our systems and engaged leading cyber security experts. We also reported the incident to relevant government authorities and law enforcement, who we continue to work closely with."
Meanwhile, Jaguar Land Rover suffered a major cyber-attack in September that led to the immediate shutdown of IT systems at UK factories, halting production globally (via the BBC).
"But no one thought to mention that my pub, the Farmer’s Dog, has been hit too," Clarkson wrote. "It was, though. Someone broke into our accounting system and helped themselves to £27,000."
Also in his article for The Times, Clarkson talked more about the strains of owning a pub, claiming that 'it’s hard enough dealing with all of the vomit and the faeces and the fights, but when you factor in the local authority, and taxation, and the government’s exciting new laws on workers’ rights, it becomes nigh-on impossible to stay sane'.
"This is why one pub in the UK is closing every single day at the moment," he noted.
Again mentioning the cyber attack, he added: "Oh, and how’s this for an ending? We were hacked at the Farmer’s Dog last week and swindled out of £27,000."
It isn't all horrible, though, as Clarkson said he has had his fair share of 'good days' at the pub.
"On a visit last week, I sat in the garden, in the sunshine, with a pint of my own beer, chowing down on a pizza made with dough from my own farm, and it was rural perfection," he said.
"There was a gaggle of little kids doing handstands and dogs lazing in the warmth and families enjoying the live band that serenades the customers on a Friday evening. I was bathed in a Ready Brek glow of absolute happiness."
While the challenges that come with running a pub are well documented, he said, 'talking about the stuff isn’t'.
Topics: Clarkson's Farm, Jeremy Clarkson, Celebrity
Anish Vij