Overview
- May told Radio X’s Chris Moyles on November 11 that The Royal Oak in Swallowcliffe can now “wipe its own face,” describing small margins but sustainable trade.
- He said the pub focuses on local produce and confirmed it does not serve Jeremy Clarkson’s Hawkstone, though it does pour his own James Gin.
- May bought the Royal Oak in 2022 to keep it as a community pub after redevelopment was mooted, and he noted it initially shut because of COVID restrictions.
- Clarkson’s pub, The Farmer’s Dog in Asthall, reopened in August 2024 after renovation and prominently serves his Hawkstone beer.
- May has kept their rivalry light-hearted, joking he is “banned” from Clarkson’s pub and quipping that he would not be going anyway.