I visited Jeremy Clarkson's farm shop - I took one look and made an instant decision

Clarkson's Farm is on a roll, breaking Amazon Prime Video's ratings records with each new release. The current series, the fourth, has proven to be its most popular yet, boasting an average of 4.4 million viewers per episode.

This success solidifies it as Amazon Prime Video's biggest show, with viewer numbers continuing to rise since the third series. A fifth series is already in the pipeline, set to premiere in 2026.

In terms of ratings, the show is essentially only competing with itself - no other Amazon Prime Video programme has come close in the past two or three years.

The reasons for its popularity are clear. It's a mix of humour, emotion, charm and, of course, it's led by the man who made Top Gear and The Grand Tour such massive hits for decades.

But beyond knowing how to create a successful TV show (which is presumably even simpler when backed by one of the world's largest and wealthiest companies), it's Jeremy Clarkson's warmth, passion and readiness to learn from his mistakes that truly sets it apart (alongside the relentless abuse he receives from his sidekick and rising star, Kaleb Cooper).

He also seems to have brought heightened awareness to the plight of British farmers, grappling with everything from the British weather to the astronomical cost of tractors and volatile fertiliser prices that can skyrocket by thousands of pounds overnight. One farmer even reportedly said that Clarkson has "done more for farmers in one series of Clarkson's Farm than Countryfile achieved in 30 years".

Admittedly a latecomer to the Clarkson's Farm sensation, I've been voraciously devouring all four series at a steady pace of roughly one per day. I love it, it's the highlight of my day (with apologies to my family for that statement).

I visited Clarkson's pub, The Farmer's Dog, and two words summed it up perfectly. It was a wonderful experience from start to finish, from wandering around the huge, packed beer garden with views over the Oxfordshire countryside, to the delicious Sunday roast and flawless service.

And I also wanted to see the Diddly Squat farm shop as it's such a central part of the series, from Clarkson's disputes with the local West Oxfordshire District Council, his attempts to sell cartons of nearly-gone-off nettle soup for £10 or his partner, Lisa Hogan, trying to sell clothes made in China despite rules that everything sold in the shop must have been made within 16 miles. One of the funniest moments of the series is when land agent Charlie Ireland spots marmalade for sale, does a double-take and stutters: "But we don't grow oranges!"

The farm shop is around 12 miles north-east of The Farmer's Dog, just south of Chipping Norton. One thing that really seemed to annoy council officials and some neighbours in the earlier episodes of the show was the huge number of people visiting the shop, clogging up the surrounding roads and parking on grass verges. So I was expecting it to be busy - and, oh boy, was it busy.

Arriving by car (though there is also a dedicated Diddly Squat bus stop outside), stewards in high-vis jackets directed us to a large nearby field where, despite the hundreds of cars already parked, we got a parking space easily (the traffic queues on the road were very short-lived too).

Once parked, a brief stroll across the road led to the farm shop, indisputably the nation's favourite. New purpose-built pavements flanked both sides of the road, a wise addition to a formerly deserted country lane now thronged with thousands of daily visitors.

Hundreds of eager vistors were already milling about, patiently awaiting their turn for a selfie near the shop sign, queuing for a pint of Hawkstone beer or food from the resident food van, or relaxing on one of the many wooden picnic benches. But when I saw the queue for the farm shop (which is adorably small and way smaller than I was expecting) I immediately decided that I would not be joining it. It was huge and I think I overheard someone say they had been waiting an hour already.

I would have relished the opportunity to peruse the products in person - luckily, many of them are available at the large shop adjacent to The Farmer's Dog with barely any queue at all, which I left with some Bee Juice honey (£12) and a crate of Hawkstone lager (£28 for 12 bottles). You can read my colleague's thoughts on the food from the farm shop here.

Much like the pub, it seemed everyone was delighted to be there and I left with fond memories of the phenomenon Jeremy Clarkson and his team have created in this tranquil corner of the country. While I may not have set foot in the shop itself, I'm still very glad I stopped by.

In addition to its fresh produce, the food from the on-site food van and Hawkstone beers, here's a selection of goods you can purchase at the farm shop.

• Hawkstone Lager 12x330ml bottles £28
• Hawkstone Cider 12x500ml bottles £30
• Jeremy's Hot Seed Beer Mustard £6
• Bee Juice Honey £12
• Diddly Squat Farm Hand-cooked Crisps (box of 24) £37.40
• Diddly Squat Farm Biltong £35
• Diddly Squat Farm Hamburger Sauce £4.80
• Diddly Squat Farm Habanero Chilli Chutney £5.80
• Diddly Squat Farm Hint of Hot London Dry Gin £39