Jeremy Clarkson, once feared by car manufacturers for his savage TV reviews, is now being hailed by British farmers for helping drive a surge in demand for homegrown food.
According to Waitrose, the latest series of Clarkson’s Farm is fuelling a spike in sales of British-grown produce, as viewers rally behind UK agriculture.
Launched on Prime Video, the show’s fourth season premiered on Friday and has already made its mark at the tills. Waitrose reported significant sales increases across a range of local items: thick-cut British sirloin steak is up 193% year-on-year, Jersey Royal new potatoes up 89%, and red Leicester cheese up 50%. Even Cox and Gala apples are enjoying a revival, with sales up 52% and 30% respectively. Early season British asparagus is also proving popular, up 25%.
“Farming shows are doing more than just entertaining us,” said Jake Pickering, head of agriculture at Waitrose. “They’re making the public stop and think about British farming, the people behind it and the challenges they face.”
Clarkson’s Farm has resonated with viewers by showing the reality of modern farming—from bureaucratic battles with environmental regulations to the unpredictable economics of crop production. While Clarkson’s tone is often combative, his stories have had a humanising effect on the public perception of UK farmers.
The impact isn’t limited to viewers at home. The “farm-to-fork” movement is picking up pace in restaurants and online too. Chefs and food influencers such as Julius Roberts and Seb Graus regularly promote seasonal, British-sourced recipes to audiences of over a million followers, helping to boost awareness and demand for local produce.
Clarkson’s on-screen frustration with flea beetle-infested oilseed rape, hedgerow restrictions, soil management rules, and the “badger police” has provided viewers with a more grounded, if at times exasperated, take on farm life.
“People think farming is about caring for the land,” Clarkson told The Sunday Times in 2023. “But it’s mainly about filling in forms… or dealing with the soil police and the badger police.”
This mix of humour, hardship and real-world red tape has struck a chord. Ian Farrant, a fourth-generation beef farmer from Herefordshire, praised the programme’s honesty.
“Before Clarkson’s Farm, you only saw two extremes of farming on TV — the quaint smallholder with rare breeds, or the factory farm exposé,” he said. “Clarkson’s Farm shows the reality for most of us: small, family-run businesses trying to stay afloat.”
Retailers are noticing a broader shift. Emilie Wolfman, a trends expert at Waitrose, says customers are becoming more deliberate in their choices.
“We’re seeing a genuine shift in how people shop and more people wanting to connect to where their food comes from,” she said.
Restaurants are also tapping into the sentiment. Stevie Parle’s new restaurant, Town, in Covent Garden, is dedicated to using sustainable British ingredients, with dishes like potato bread with wild-farmed beef dripping on the menu.
Meanwhile, the farm-to-fork ethos is being reinforced by campaigns across social media and in retail, helping to bring the narrative of British farming into urban kitchens.
For an industry grappling with labour shortages, policy uncertainty and price volatility, Clarkson’s influence has provided a welcome morale boost. The fact that a reality TV series — anchored by a former Top Gear host — has driven real economic uplift in the agriculture sector speaks to the power of storytelling in shaping public attitudes.
And Clarkson himself? Characteristically wry, but quietly pleased.
“That makes me all warm and fuzzy,” he said, when told about the sales impact. “Long may it continue.”
From car critic to countryside advocate, Clarkson’s latest legacy may be his most unexpected yet: rekindling Britain’s connection to its farmers, one field at a time.
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The Clarkson Effect: how Clarkson’s Farm is driving a boom in British produce