The good-natured pub rivalry between two former Top Gear co-hosts just got a fresh update — and this round goes decisively to James May. The Royal Oak, May’s pub in Swallowcliffe, Wiltshire, has officially been named Best Local Pub in Wiltshire at the 2026 Muddy Stilettos Awards, a title that celebrates outstanding independent businesses across the county.
It’s the latest chapter in a friendly but very real back-and-forth between May and Jeremy Clarkson, whose own pub, The Farmer’s Dog in Oxfordshire, has become a fixture of Clarkson’s Farm since opening in 2024. The two men — who spent over two decades together on Top Gear and The Grand Tour alongside Richard Hammond — have both ventured into hospitality in recent years, and neither has been shy about ribbing the other over whose establishment does it better.
May previously took a direct swipe at Clarkson’s venue, telling an interviewer bluntly: “Mine’s much better. I think that’s the main difference,” while also admitting that running a pub has proven “extremely difficult,” even for a “successful” business like The Royal Oak. Clarkson, for his part, has been equally candid about his own struggles at The Farmer’s Dog, previously writing in a column that it was “galling to see how much effort is required to make so little money” — first on the farm, and then, even more so, at the pub.
The Royal Oak has quite a pedigree behind it. Operating as an inn since 1852, the pub blends traditional thick beams and stone fireplaces with more modern touches, including a conservatory framed with green oak overlooking the garden. Conveniently close to Tisbury train station on the main Exeter to Waterloo line, it’s become something of a countryside escape for Londoners — and, fittingly, a magnet for petrolheads eager to spot May himself behind the bar.
With this award now in hand, May has bragging rights over Clarkson for the foreseeable future — and knowing the pair’s history, it’s safe to assume this particular scoreboard won’t go unmentioned for long.
