Jeremy Clarkson ‘offered pub landlady six figures for new business within minutes of meeting her’

Jeremy Clarkson was reportedly “so determined” to take over a village pub that he offered the landlady nearly £1million shortly after meeting her.

It was recently announced that Jeremy 64, has bought the Windmill pub near Burford in Oxfordshire. The presenter is said to have bought the freehold of the pub and is not linked to a brewery. It has been suggested that he could sell his own beer and produce on site, which is around 10 miles from Diddly Squat Farm.

Renovation work is reportedly underway at the pub. Jeremy announced in an Instagram post earlier this week: “A new pub is coming. All that’s left to do is sort out the water, gas, toilets, staff and electrics and we’ll be ready to go.”

Jeremy was reportedly “so determined” to take over the village pub that he offered the landlady “nearly £1 million” “within minutes of meeting her”, according to MailOnline. As previously reported, Jeremy himself had said he bought the property for “less than £1 million”.

Jackie Walker, 79, who reportedly opened the pub with her late husband Alan Walker in 1983, is said to have not yet put the pub up for sale and was reportedly surprised to learn Jeremy was interested in it, which “resulted in a deal being finalised within minutes of their meeting”. She told the outlet that a camera crew entered the pub and the “next thing” she knew, someone with Jeremy was knocking on the door and asking if she was interested in selling.

She was allegedly invited to meet him at his home in a nearby village to discuss possible terms. She said: “The first thing Jeremy said to me was I guess you want a lot of money for this.” He allegedly made her an immediate offer that was far more than she had hoped for, and she accepted immediately. Jackie, who allegedly accepted immediately, said this made her “laugh” but noted that it was “Jeremy”.

She told the outlet that they met for coffee at his home and that she had taken floor plans for the meeting. She described Jeremy and his partner Lisa Hogan as “lovely,” adding that she “really liked them.” She added: “I hadn’t planned on selling the place, but I wasn’t very happy with the way it was being run and I’m not getting any younger.”

Jackie said she stepped back from the day-to-day running of the pub after decades around 2013 when her husband Alan died, aged 73, 11 years ago, and allowed the tenants to continue its operation. Jeremy is understood to have bought out the remaining five years of that lease from husband and wife tenants Barry and Vanessa Eason when he completed the deal. The Easons are understood to have left last month.