Diddly Squat Farm summer event: 25,000 people expected at Jeremy Clarkson's farm for Cereals 2026

More than 25,000 people are expected to descend on Jeremy Clarkson's Diddly Squat Farm next month for a farming event. The Cereals 2026 gathering will take place at the Oxfordshire farm, owned by the former Top Gear presenter, on June 10 and 11.

And the TV star - who has forged another career as the frontman of Amazon show Clarkson's Farm based around his exploits on the holding in the village of Chadlington - said he was delighted to be hosting the event, saying it offered "something positive" as British farmers face "some of toughest conditions seen in decades".

"I'm in an extremely fortunate position with other income streams," he said. "I can't even begin to imagine how awful it must be for farmers who don't host Who Wants to be a Millionaire. It must be utterly soul destroying with what's going on now."

The annual Cereals trade event features crop plots, machinery demonstrations, expert seminars and networking opportunities for farmers and others in the industry. And Cereals 2026 event director, Alli McEntyre, said the high-profile venue would bring much-needed extra attention to British agriculture.

"Hosting Cereals at the high-profile farm under the auspices of host farmer, Jeremy Clarkson, will help to draw attention to the ongoing issues that arable farmers, and the wider UK farming industry, are facing," she said, praising the impact of live events, which bring farming communities together "to connect, share ideas and find solutions".

The news follows the introduced a new product at Clarkson’s famed The Farmer's Dog pub after a struggle to abide by his self-imposed 100% British rule. After opening the Oxfordshire venue, the Clarkson's Farm star vowed to stock only 100% British food and drink, meaning cola, coffee and ginger beer could not be served, as they could not be sourced entirely from within the UK.

Another high-profile absentee was rum. Traditionally, rum is made from molasses, a by-product of the sugar cane industry, which is fermented and aged before being bottled and sold. As sugar cannot grow in the cooler climes of the UK, Clarkson was left without a British rum option - until now.

After several years of rum production overseas, brothers Will and Rob Tapster founded Alkemy Distillery in Suffolk in 2021, with the aim of producing a unique new take on the classic spirit. Alkemy uses molasses from locally-grown sugar beet, rather than imported sugar cane, to make their rum.

Co-founder Rob said: "Alkemy is made in the same way as rum, but by using sugar beet, we end up with a different flavour profile. This means that the spirit has less of the more challenging flavours that you would associate with rum, and as a result, doesn’t have to have all the sugar added to make it drinkable. This makes the spirit more approachable, whilst keeping hold of the enjoyable part of rum."

The molasses for the spirit comes directly from the British Sugar factory in Bury St Edmunds, and travels an average of 35 miles from field to bottle. Clarkson’s stance to back British agriculture is echoed by the distillery, which praised the Grand Tour star's ethos.

"We think that what Jeremy and the team at the Farmer’s Dog are doing is really important. It has made people ask a lot more questions about where some of their food actually comes from and how it is grown. There are a lot of positive things about agriculture in the UK, and I think we all agree that it could do with all the help that it can get."

Alkemy is now available at the Farmer’s Dog pub, in Asthall, Oxfordshire, and to purchase on the Alkemy website, or via Amazon.