Kaleb Cooper’s Quirky Breakfast Ritual: Clarkson’s Farm Star Sticks to ‘Weird’ Crumpet Combo Amid Rising Fame

Kaleb Cooper, the 27-year-old farming prodigy and breakout star of Amazon Prime’s Clarkson’s Farm, has become a household name for his tractor-driving prowess and deadpan humor, but it’s his peculiar breakfast habit that’s sparking chatter across the Cotswolds and beyond. In his 2024 memoir, It’s a Farming Thing, the Diddly Squat Farm stalwart revealed a daily ritual that has fans both intrigued and bemused: a steadfast devotion to crumpets slathered with butter, jam, and—most controversially—Cheddar cheese. Dubbed “weird” by some, this quirky combo, which Kaleb insists is a stroke of culinary genius inspired by European traditions, fuels his grueling 5 a.m. starts. As Clarkson’s Farm gears up for its fifth season, with Jeremy Clarkson recently confirming a temporary filming break but a commitment to “carry on,” Kaleb’s breakfast confession offers a charming glimpse into the life of a young farmer whose star—and bank account—is rapidly rising.

Since bursting onto screens in 2021, Clarkson’s Farm has transformed Kaleb from a local lad into a global icon, with the series pulling in over 5 million viewers per episode and igniting a newfound appreciation for British agriculture’s grit and grind. The show, centered on Jeremy Clarkson’s 1,000-acre Diddly Squat Farm, follows the motley crew—Kaleb, Clarkson, Lisa Hogan, Charlie Ireland, and Gerald Cooper—as they battle everything from drought-stunted barley to bovine tuberculosis outbreaks, all while keeping viewers in stitches with their banter. Kaleb, who began farming at 13 with dairy cows before joining Clarkson’s venture, has become the show’s heart, his no-nonsense approach and Oxfordshire drawl cutting through Clarkson’s city-slicker bluster. His role extends beyond the fields; he’s a social media dynamo, with 2.2 million Instagram followers lapping up his tractor selfies and farm-life quips, and a budding entrepreneur whose ventures are reaping rewards as substantial as his wheat yields.

In It’s a Farming Thing, Kaleb pulls back the curtain on his dawn-to-dusk routine, which kicks off at 5 a.m. with a bleary-eyed stumble to the kitchen. While summer mornings might see him spooning cereal, the colder months usher in his signature breakfast: crumpets, toasted to golden perfection, layered with a generous smear of butter, a dollop of jam, and a slice of sharp Cheddar cheese. “I’ve got a fascination with crumpets at the moment,” he writes, as reported by Surrey Live. “People might think it’s weird, but it all goes brilliantly together.” The combination, which has raised eyebrows among traditionalists who favor a simple fry-up, draws inspiration from European pairings like quince jelly with cheese. “They’ve totally got the right idea,” Kaleb insists, defending his fusion as a savory-sweet revelation that powers him through 18-hour days of harrowing fields and wrangling Clarkson’s harebrained schemes.

The reaction on platforms like X has been a mix of amusement and curiosity, with fans posting, “Crumpets with cheese and jam? Kaleb’s either a genius or bonkers #ClarksonsFarm,” while others admit to trying it: “Tasted Kaleb’s breakfast—mind blown, he’s onto something!” Detractors, however, aren’t sold, with one commenter joking, “Cheddar and jam? My stomach’s staging a protest.” Kaleb remains unfazed, pledging allegiance to his crumpet ritual until, as he puts it, “one day, suddenly, I can’t face another crumpet, and then it’ll be back to eggs—dippy or scrambled.” This steadfastness mirrors his approach to farming: unapologetic, practical, and rooted in what works, whether it’s coaxing a bumper barley crop or schooling Clarkson on the finer points of seed drills.

Kaleb’s rising fame has translated into financial clout, a testament to his savvy beyond the tractor cab. Companies House filings reveal that Kaleb Cooper Productions, his media company, saw assets soar from £122,000 to £242,000 in the year ending June 30, 2023, fueled by TV appearances, book sales, and speaking gigs. His contracting business, Kaleb Cooper Contracting, nearly doubled from £52,000 to £96,000, reflecting his hustle managing farm services alongside Diddly Squat duties. Clarkson, ever the mentor, has praised Kaleb’s dual talents: “He’ll drive up and down through the night, putting the right fertiliser on and taking pride in watching a healthy field take root. He’s also extremely good on television,” he told The Sun. Fans echo the sentiment, with posts like “Kaleb’s the real MVP—runs the farm and steals the show.”

His journey began humbly. Raised in Chipping Norton, Kaleb was milking cows by 13 and running his own contracting business by 16, a hustle born of necessity in a region where farming is both heritage and hardship. Joining Clarkson’s Farm at 22 thrust him into the spotlight, his chemistry with Clarkson—a mix of exasperated teacher and cheeky apprentice—winning hearts. Scenes of him cursing a muddy tractor or debating crop rotations with Jeremy have become series staples, while his 2022 and 2024 books, The World According to Kaleb and It’s a Farming Thing, offer unfiltered takes on rural life, cementing his status as a voice for young farmers. His YouTube channel, launched in 2023, boasts 500,000 subscribers, with videos like “Kaleb Fixes Jeremy’s Cock-Ups” racking up millions of views.

Season 5, expected in spring 2026, will test Kaleb’s resilience further. Clarkson recently revealed a bovine TB outbreak forced a two-month lockdown, culling a pregnant cow and shuttering the farm shop, a blow that cost thousands in revenue. “It was bloody awful,” Clarkson wrote, hinting at emotional scenes ahead. Kaleb, who’s weathered similar crises, will likely be the steady hand, guiding Diddly Squat through the fallout while keeping spirits high. Off-camera, he’s navigating fatherhood—his son Oscar, born in 2021, and daughter Willa, born in 2023, with partner Taya—are his anchor, often featured in Instagram snaps captioned, “Farming’s tough, but they make it worth it.”

The breakfast revelation adds a humanizing layer to Kaleb’s persona, a reminder that even TV’s toughest farmers have quirks. As Clarkson’s Farm pauses filming post-Season 5, per Clarkson’s recent column—“We’ve sent the cameras away for a bit, but the show goes on”—Kaleb’s crumpet routine will fuel his days in the fields, where he’s already back at work, as Clarkson noted, “out there now in his tractor.” With fans buzzing about his “weird” meal (a Reddit thread debates “Crumpet-gate” with 3,000 upvotes), Kaleb’s unshakeable authenticity—whether planting barley or piling cheese on jam—keeps him the beating heart of Diddly Squat. As one X post put it, “Kaleb could eat mud and we’d still love him. Keep farming, king.” With wealth climbing and a fifth season looming, his quirky breakfast is just the start of a legacy that’s anything but ordinary.