Jeremy Clarkson offered almost £1 million to the pub owner a few minutes after meeting her.
The former Top Gear presenter, 64, has developed his small Cotswold property for the popular Amazon series Clarkson’s Farm.
Eager to find a pub to sell his wares, Clarkson arranged to meet the landlady of the Windmill near Burford in Oxfordshire, and is said to have offered her a considerable sum over coffee.
The pub is nestled in the heart of the Cotswold countryside with views over the Windrush Valley, whilst being just 10 miles from the presenter. Diddly Squat Farm.
Set in five acres of his own land, the presenter hopes to transform the venue into a pub that will serve only British produce and offer farmers a free pint.
Publicist Jackie Walker, 79, had been invited to Diddly Squat to discuss terms of a possible deal for The Windmill.
She told MailOnline: “A film crew had come into the pub and immediately afterwards someone from Clarkson knocked on the door and asked if I was interested in selling it.”
Mrs Walker, who opened the rural pub with her late husband Alan in 1983, visited Clarkson’s home near the village of Chadlington to discuss conditions over coffee.
She said, “The first thing Jeremy said to me was, I guess you want a lot of money for this.”
It was reported that almost £1 million was offered to her almost immediately, and Ms Walker accepted. Clarkson was granted the freedom of the pub, which is not affiliated with a brewery, meaning it can sell its own beer on site.
Ms Walker said: “It made me laugh, but it’s Jeremy Clarkson.” She said she had no plans to sell the place but was not very happy with the way it was being run, adding: “I’m not getting any younger.”
“I think he’ll make a TV series out of it. I really hope he can make this place a real success and restore it to the way it used to be. My husband and I have had a lot of fun running it.”
Clarkson is looking for a pub to market his own products, including his Hawkstone beer.
Work has begun on the renovation of the Windmill, which Clarkson describes as “full of dead rats” with “illegal” toilets.
Mrs Walker, who stepped back from the day-to-day running of the pub when her husband died 11 years ago and allowed tenants to step in, said she hopes Clarkson can make the pub as successful as it was in its early days, when it was popular with locals and tourists.
She said the pub was often “full” in its early days and was known for its particularly good food.
