Jeremy Clarkson reckons he had a ‘brainwave’ idea while coming up with a new soup recipe to sell at his Diddly Squat farm shop.
Clarkson explained that his farm isn’t likely to turn a profit this year due to the rocketing price of fertiliser, as well as falling wheat prices and the ‘bonkers’ weather.
But he hopes that a ‘brainwave’ soup sale idea could help him claw in some cash and ultimately secure the financial future of Diddly Squat, thanks in part to the fact the main ingredient - stinging nettles - grows in abundance on his land, without the need for fertiliser or even planting.
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In his column in The Times, Clarkson said that the ‘secret’ recipe was actually created by a worker in his farm shop and that he’s been feeding it to guests for ‘weeks’ with very positive feedback.
Writing about his new soup in The Times, he explained: “Buoyed by the positive reaction, I made a business plan and worked out that I could sell 500ml portions, chilled and packaged, for £5.80.
“Which is a bit weird because the main ingredient, apart from the cream, and the potatoes, and the chicken stock, and the butter, cost me nothing at all.
"How supermarkets can sell their soups for £2 less — when their ingredients have to be farmed — is beyond me.”
He went on to say that he was hopeful the new recipe would be a roaring success with shoppers, but that he wasn’t putting all his eggs in one basket and was already thinking about other potential ingredients he has growing at the farm.
He continued: “I'm sitting here hoping that my new nettle soup becomes a firm farm shop favourite. Which means, of course, it'll be a disaster.
“But if it isn't, and I really have come up with a way of monetising the plague of nettles that choke the woods every summer, it could open the floodgates, because there's watercress in there as well, and wild garlic, and crayfish, and mushrooms - and all of these things can be turned into soup.”
In a post on Instagram earlier this month, Clarkson show-cased his new soup writing: “I’ve really gone and done thing. My hand picked nettle soup is available in the shop today for one day only. Full of goodness.”
He then confirmed that it would be back, commenting: “It’s actually the first batch that’s only available today. I can’t imagine running out of nettles.”
Topics: Jeremy Clarkson, Clarkson's Farm, Food And Drink
Claire Reid