Clarkson's Farm Star Lisa Hogan Launches 'Only Farmers' – and It Could Be Made for the West Country

From farm stays and vineyard tours to lambing days, workshops and rural experiences, a new platform launched by Clarkson's Farm star Lisa Hogan and her son Wolfe Bentinck is helping people discover a side of British farming they might never otherwise see. And for the West Country, the idea feels particularly relevant.

The idea that started at Diddly Squat

The success of Clarkson's Farm has introduced millions of people to the realities, personalities and occasional chaos of British farming.

But the latest idea to emerge from the Diddly Squat world isn't actually Jeremy Clarkson's.

Lisa Hogan, Clarkson's partner and the familiar face behind the Diddly Squat Farm Shop, has launched Only Farmers with her son, Wolfe Bentinck.

The idea reportedly grew out of Lisa's conversations with farmers visiting the shop.

Again and again, she discovered farmers doing extraordinary things alongside traditional farming — offering everything from vineyard tours and lambing days to farm stays, workshops, events and other countryside experiences.

The problem wasn't necessarily a lack of interest.

It was that potential visitors simply didn't know many of these experiences existed.

Only Farmers has been created to bridge that gap, allowing farms to connect directly with consumers and promote their experiences, stays, activities and events.

And that is where things become particularly interesting for the West Country.

Discovering the West Country beyond the obvious

Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset are already among Britain's best-loved holiday destinations.

But some of their most memorable experiences aren't necessarily the ones you'll find on a traditional list of tourist attractions.

They're the vineyard hidden down a country lane.

The family farm where you can stay for the weekend.

The orchard producing its own cider.

The farm shop selling food grown or reared a few fields away.

The lambing experience children talk about for months afterwards.

The cheesemaker, grower, beekeeper or artisan producer willing to show visitors what they actually do.

This is increasingly part of what makes a West Country escape special: discovering the people and places behind the landscape.

More than a farm-stay booking platform

There is another interesting element to Only Farmers.

It's not simply designed for holidaymakers looking for somewhere rural to stay.

As well as allowing farms to promote experiences, events, stays and activities to the public, the platform also includes a farmer-only marketplace, where farmers can buy, sell or rent equipment, find suppliers and trade directly with one another.

That broader purpose is important.

Only Farmers isn't simply trying to turn farms into tourist attractions. It's designed to support diversification and create new commercial connections within farming itself.

Why farm diversification matters

For many British farms, diversification is no longer simply a nice additional source of income.

Farm stays, events, workshops, tours, farm shops, food experiences and other activities can provide additional revenue while allowing farms to make better use of their land, buildings, produce and knowledge.

And perhaps just as importantly, they create a direct connection between farmers and the public.

Visitors get to understand more about where their food comes from, how the countryside is managed and the work that goes into maintaining the landscapes we travel to enjoy.

Farmers, meanwhile, have an opportunity to tell their own stories — and generate income directly from the people visiting them.

Why the West Country is perfect for it

The concept feels particularly relevant to Somerset, Devon, Dorset and Cornwall, where farming, food, landscape and tourism are already so closely intertwined.

Somerset has its cider orchards, dairy farms, cheesemakers and vineyards.

Devon combines rich farmland and food traditions with spectacular countryside and coast.

Dorset offers working farms and rolling countryside within easy reach of the Jurassic Coast.

And Cornwall has developed an extraordinary food culture around its farms, fishing communities, growers and artisan producers.

The opportunity isn't simply to encourage more people to visit the West Country.

It's to encourage them to experience more of it when they get here.

Perhaps this is where travel is heading

The interesting thing about Only Farmers is that it taps into a much wider change in the way many of us travel.

We don't necessarily just want a bed for the night anymore.

We want to discover something.

We want the little vineyard nobody told us about. The farm breakfast where almost everything came from within a few miles. The cider maker who'll explain how this year's harvest is looking. The shepherd's hut overlooking a field of sheep. The workshop we hadn't planned on doing but end up talking about all the way home.

In other words, we increasingly want experiences with a story behind them.

And there are few parts of Britain with more of those stories waiting to be discovered than the West Country.

Only Farmers may have a deliberately cheeky name, but the idea behind it is rather clever.

And if it helps more people discover the farmers, producers, stays and rural experiences hidden across Britain, we're all for it.