The Diddly Squat Farm Shop is a central part of Amazon Prime Video’s Clarkson’s Farm — but is it as good as the show’s makers would have you believe?
Clarkson’s Farm is smashing Amazon Prime Video’s ratings records with each new release. The current series, the fourth, has proven to be its most popular yet, pulling in an impressive average of 4.4 million viewers per episode.
This makes it Amazon Prime Video’s top show, with viewer numbers on the rise since the third series. A fifth series is already in the pipeline, set to premiere in 2026. In terms of ratings, the show is essentially competing with itself — no other Amazon Prime Video programme has come close in the past couple of years, reports Wales Online.
The show’s popularity isn’t surprising. It’s a delightful mix of humour, emotion, charm and, of course, it’s led by the man who made Top Gear and The Grand Tour such massive hits for decades.
But beyond his knack for creating compelling telly (which must be easier with one of the world’s wealthiest companies backing you), it’s Jeremy Clarkson’s warmth, passion, and willingness to learn and admit mistakes that truly sets the show apart (not to mention all the ribbing he gets from his sidekick and rising star Kaleb Cooper)
He’s dramatically boosted the visibility of British farming, along with its relentless hurdles – from extreme weather conditions to the staggering costs of tractors and the way the price of fertiliser can skyrocket by thousands in the blink of an eye, but it’s not like you can hike up your potato prices overnight to compensate.
Farmers seem to be thanking him for bringing their struggles to light, with one purportedly stating that Clarkson “done more for farmers in one series of Clarkson’s Farm than Countryfile achieved in 30 years”.
I might have been late jumping on the Clarkson’s Farm bandwagon, but now I’m devouring the four series with a voracity of about one per day. It’s become the best bit of my day – absolutely brilliant.
I popped into Clarkson’s boozer, The Farmer’s Dog, and two words summed up that experience for me. I loved every second, from the sprawling, heaving beer garden offering views of the Oxfordshire landscape to the cracking Sunday roast topped off with impeccable service.
The lure of Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat farm shop, famed for its appearances in the hit series, was too tempting. It’s been the subject of Clarkon’s disputes with West Oxfordshire District Council, tried to sell nearly-gone-off nettle soup at £10 a pop, and seen Lisa Hogan trying to sell China-made clothes despite a rule that everything sold there must come from within 16 miles. A memorable scene is when land agent Charlie Ireland discovers marmalade on the shelves and exclaims in shock: “But we don’t grow oranges!”.
Nestled just south of Chipping Norton, roughly 12 miles from The Farmer’s Dog, the farm shop has previously caused a stir with local council officials and residents due to the influx of visitors causing traffic woes. I half-expected chaos upon arrival, but the reality was surprisingly smooth with stewards swiftly directing us to ample parking despite the huge number of visitors.
Zooming toward the farm by car (though there is a dedicated Diddly Squat bus stop outside), the high-vis brigade ushered us into a spacious field to join the ranks of parked vehicles where, pleasantly, traffic snarls were nothing but a hiccup.
Once parked, a brief stroll across the road led me to what is undoubtedly the nation’s favourite farm shop. The addition of new, purpose-built pavements on either side of the road was a welcome sight, especially considering the sheer numbers of people now flocking to this once-quiet country lane.
The place was already buzzing with hundreds of visitors, some eagerly waiting for a selfie by the shop sign, others queuing for a pint of Hawkstone beer or a bite from the resident food van, and many more lounging on the numerous wooden picnic benches. However, upon seeing the enormous queue for the quaintly small farm shop (which was much tinier than I had anticipated), I promptly decided against joining it. I overheard talk that suggested that some had been waiting for an hour already.
I would have relished the chance to peruse the products in person — luckily, many of them are available at the larger shop adjacent to The Farmer’s Dog, where queues were virtually non-existent and I managed to snag some Bee Juice honey (£12) and a crate of Hawkstone lager (£28 for 12 bottles).
Much like the pub, there was a palpable sense of excitement in the air, with everyone seemingly delighted to be there. Despite not stepping foot inside the shop itself, I left with fond memories of the unique experience Jeremy Clarkson and his team have crafted in this tranquil corner of the country. I’m certainly glad I dropped by.
What’s on offer at Jeremy Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop?
As well as its fresh produce, the food from the on-site food van and Hawkstone beers, here’s a selection of goods you can buy at the farm shop.
- Hawkstone Lager 12x330ml bottles £28
- Hawkstone Cider 12x500ml bottles £30
- Jeremy’s Hot Seed Beer Mustard £6
- Bee Juice Honey £12
- Diddly Squat Farm Hand-cooked Crisps (box of 24) £37.40
- Diddly Squat Farm Biltong £35
- Diddly Squat Farm Hamburger Sauce £4.80
- Diddly Squat Farm Habanero Chilli Chutney £5.80
- Diddly Squat Farm Hint of Hot London Dry Gin £39