James May’s ‘rival pub attempts to outdo’ Jeremy Clarkson’s after backlash over prices

James May is said to be competing with his former Top Gear co-star Jeremy Clarkson over their pubs.

The Grand Tour stars, who have finished filming their final special together with Richard Hammond, both have launched new ventures away from television.

May’s pub, The Royal Oak, which he co-owns in Wiltshire, opened in 2021, while Clarkson’s The Farmer’s Dog began welcoming customers just last month.

And the last few weeks for the 64-year-old’s new business have stirred some controversy, after a ‘disastrous’ launch where he said they faced ‘massive struggles’.

Fans have also been left gobsmacked at the prices, when it was revealed that merch alone could cost up to £60.

Meanwhile, Clarkson told followers on social media that his pints cost £5.50, with reports that food ranges in price from £15 for a vegetable and cheddar crumble, to £19 for a Lancashire hot pot.

According to LadBible, smaller dishes like garlic mushrooms with a poached egg cost £8 and desserts like the strawberry meringue are priced at £9.

But May is said to be going for a different approach in an attempt to ‘outdo’ Clarkson.

A source claimed: ‘James and Jeremy are in intense competition and both want to outdo each other to have the most talked about country pub.

‘While it’s thought that Jeremy was making a joke about the pub’s early reputation as a dogging site when he came up with the name The Farmer’s Dog, James interpreted the theme more literally and responded with an entire dog food menu.’

‘Some people see James’ pub as the wholesome, more innocent version of Jeremy’s wordplay, with his Paw Star Martini option – non-alcoholic of course – for dogs,’ they added to The Express.

It’s also claimed that May’s Royal Oak beef burger is ‘fractionally cheaper’ than Clarkson’s main course options, while his dog meal prices are ‘cheap as chips’.

A sample menu on The Royal Oak website reveals puddings stand at around £8.50, while starters are at the £8 mark.

The menu for Clarkson’s pub doesn’t have any prices available, which left some fans thinking that meant they’d be expensive.

This comes after Clarkson’s Farm star Kaleb Cooper firmly defended The Farmer’s Dog prices.

He told Metro.co.uk at the National Television Awards: ‘I’ve spent a little time there. It’s fantastic, it’s great, it’s really just a good traditional pub with good food, highlighting the quality of British produce.’

‘I don’t think there’s any difference in prices to any other pub.’

His co-star on the Amazon Prime TV series, Charlie Ireland, added: ‘We aimed for a bit cheaper than the local area because the pubs are sort of renowned for high prices. We’ve tried to make it affordable for people.’

Metro.co.uk has contacted May’s reps for comment.