James May takes savage swipe at Jeremy Clarkson’s rival pub despite never visiting: ‘Mine’s much better’
Former Top Gear star James May has claimed his pub is “much better” than Jeremy Clarkson’s establishment, despite never having visited his former colleague’s venue.
The 62-year-old made the bold statement during an interview with Al Arabiya News, comparing his Royal Oak pub to Clarkson’s The Farmer’s Dog.
The pair’s friendly rivalry has extended beyond their television careers and into the hospitality industry, with both now running competing pubs – however, May didn’t hold back in his assessment, suggesting Clarkson’s business model differs significantly from his own more traditional approach.
“Mine’s much better. I think that’s the main difference,” May told Al Arabiya News host Tom Burges Watson. “I haven’t actually been to Jeremy’s pub. I’ve met a few people who have,” he admitted.
May suggested Clarkson has “gone for a sort of mass throughput model” at The Farmer’s Dog and added: “So he’s got hundreds of people queuing up to have his burger, whereas ours is a little bit more relaxed.”
The presenter described his establishment as “a village pub where people come” with “great” food.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Strictly’s Aljaz Skorjanec and Janette Manrara make heartbreaking decision as star awaits callbackGogglebox viewers fume at Channel 4 ‘pushing lefty propaganda’ during segment: ‘Ruining the show!’James May admits to still suffering from painful side effects three years on from near-fatal crash
“We’ve got a fabulous chef and team of chefs,” May added, insisting his venue feels “more like a regular English pub.”
May became part owner of the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, during lockdown in 2020, making him the first of the duo to enter the pub business.
Clarkson followed suit when he opened the doors to his upmarket Cotswolds pub The Farmer’s Dog last summer, with the pub being located close to Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm, which has featured prominently in his Amazon series “Clarkson’s Farm”.
Both establishments have attracted significant attention due to their famous owners, with Clarkson’s venue particularly drawing visitors from across the country.
Clarkson’s pub has faced several controversies since opening, including a strict ban on three pub staples and according to a review on Birmingham Live, The Farmer’s Dog does not serve coffee, ketchup or lemonade.
A sign outside the pub explicitly states they don’t offer coffee or ketchup, while one customer was reportedly refused a cider shandy due to the lemonade ban.
More recently, the venue has been threatened with the prospect of having to close its large car park, with the parking area being adjacent to a 1,400-year-old burial mound containing the remains of an Anglo-Saxon warlord, with concerns it could be damaged by the influx of vehicles.
May admitted that he is finding it “extremely difficult” to stay afloat, noting that while his pub is “successful”, it has only “just survived” amid rising costs.
Clarkson has been equally open about his struggles to turn a profit at The Farmer’s Dog and wrote his column for The Times last year: “It’s worse at the pub. The customers are coming. There’s no problem there. But turning their visits into a profit is nigh-on impossible.”
He also expressed concerns about recouping his £1 million investment, stating: “This place is costing us a fortune. God knows if we’ll ever make our money back.”
Despite their competitive pub ventures, May and Clarkson’s relationship remains characteristically playful, as May previously joked to The Telegraph that they were “creatively fuelled by a mutual loathing” and that’s why their “dynamic worked” so well on screen.
Clarkson later dismissed any notion of genuine animosity, responding: “We’ve spent more time in each other’s company than our families’ over the last 25 years so I don’t think it would have lasted as long as it did if we’d hated each other as much as James likes to think.”