James May made shock comments about Jeremy Clarkson’s Cotswolds pub as he compared to his own village inn in a new interview.

After making a name for themselves on TV, the Top Gear and Grand Tour stars have both coincidentally gone on to own their own boozers.

James, 62, was first on the scene when he became part owner of the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, during lockdown in 2020.

Then Jeremy, 64, followed in his co-stars footsteps when he opened the doors to his upmarket Cotswolds pub The Farmer’s Dog last summer, which is located within close distance his Diddly Squat farm.

Discussing the possibility of compeтιтion between the two pubs while chatting to Al Arabiya News host Tom Burges Watson on his show, James didn’t hold back.

He said: ‘Mine’s much better. I think that’s the main difference. I haven’t actually been to Jeremy’s pub. I’ve met a few people who have. 

James May made shock comments about Jeremy Clarkson ‘s Cotswolds pub as he compared to his own village inn in a new interview 

After making a name for themselves on TV, the Top Gear and Grand Tour stars have both coincidentally gone on to own their own boozers 

‘It sounds like, well, from what I can gather, he’s gone for a sort of mᴀss throughput model. So he’s got hundreds of people queuing up to have his burger, whereas ours is a little bit more relaxed.’

Continuing to discuss his own pub, he added: ‘It’s a village pub where people come. The food is great. We’ve got a fabulous chef and team of chefs.

‘So mine would feel more like, more like a regular English pub. It’s not, it’s not old fashioned. He hasn’t got horse brᴀss on the walls or any of that tweezer. There’s no Morris dancing. I won’t allow that. It is just a pub.’

It comes after pubgoers were left baffled after discovering that Jeremy’s pub has a strict ban on three pub staple items.

The boozer has faced a string of controversies since it officially opened last summer – with customers complaining of ‘overpriced’ beers, mammoth queues and now, the prohibition of menu items considered a staple in most UK boozers.

According to a review on Birmingham Live, the six-month-old eatery does not serve a number of beverages and condiments that some diners would consider staples.

James, 62, was first on the scene when he became part owner of the Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, during lockdown in 2020

Then Jeremy, 64, followed in his co-stars footsteps when he opened the doors to his upmarket Cotswolds pub The Farmer’s Dog last summer, which is located within close distance his Diddly Squat farm

James said: ‘Mine’s much better. I think that’s the main difference. I haven’t actually been to Jeremy’s pub. I’ve met a few people who have’

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‘You can’t have coffee, ketchup or lemonade – there’s a sign outside the pub explaining they don’t serve coffee or ketchup,’ the critic said.

The journalist observed a fellow customer being refused a latte, before she was later told she couldn’t have a cider shandy because the venue also doesn’t serve lemonade.

With an average rating of 4.5 stars on Google, it’s difficult to secure a booking at The Farmer’s Dog – with the Sunday lunch notoriously hard to get into.

Despite winning over locals and visitors to the area, The Farmer’s Dog has seen a number of teething problems since it first opened, with some customers complaining of pricey beers and endless queues.

More recently, the venue was threatened with the prospect of having to close its huge carpark which is responsible for bringing in hundreds of customers from all over the country.

The car park is adjacent to a listed ancient monument, a 1,400-year-old burial mound containing the remains of an Anglo-Saxon warlord, and there are concerns it could be damaged by the number of cars now arriving.

The mounting pressure to close the carpark could prove a significant financial blow to the boozer, with punters travelling from all over thanks to its famous ownership.

The Top Gear presenter paid £1 million to take over the pub, which is located within close distance of his base, Diddly Squat, and he has previously spoken at length about it’s costly upkeep.

After acquiring the pub lease, Clarkson knew he needed to increase its parking capacity – because of what happened previously when he opened his hugely popular Diddly Squat Farm Shop near Chadlington, which featured on Clarkson’s Farm.

It comes after pubgoers were left baffled after discovering that Jeremy’s pub has a strict ban on three pub staple items 

More recently, the venue was threatened with the prospect of having to close its huge carpark which is responsible for bringing in hundreds of customers from all over the country

Fans soon came in their hundreds causing traffic jams, with punters parked for miles around on the grᴀss verges of narrow single-tracks, blocking roads and causing fury among neighbours.

So Clarkson quickly struck a deal with local landowners Edward and Patricia Walker to lease the field with motorists charged £2 to park there – £1 of which would go to the Walkers.

The arrangement seemed to be going well with cars flooding in and out since last summer’s August opening, all carefully managed by parking wardens wearing hi-vis jackets, as Clarkson’s pub tills rang day and night.

Asthall Barrow, which dates from the seventh century AD, contains the cremated remains of a ‘high-status individual’, probably a warlord commanding all or part of one of the regional kingdoms the country was divided into during the Dark Ages.

The barrow is listed and protected by Historic England in the heritage category of a ‘scheduled monument’ in the same way that Stonehenge is.

But it sits at the western edge of the field Clarkson is using as a car park.

And for the long term protection of the ancient mound, locals are suggesting it may be necessary to close the car park – which at times turned to a mud bath over the wet winter.

Clarkson would then need to find an alternative field – and if he can’t find one near enough to walk to the pub from, he may even need to provide a shuttle bus for customers.