Harriet Cowan, one of the breakout stars of Clarkson's Farm, has criticised presenter Jeremy Clarkson over his approach to hedge trimming, warning that leaving hedges untrimmed can harm smaller birds.
Cowan, 25, joined the fourth series of the Amazon Prime show to assist Clarkson, 66, while Kaleb Cooper was on a UK tour. Since appearing, she has become a fan favourite, working as a full-time community nurse before focusing on farming. She has also helped on her family's Derbyshire farm and at Diddly Squat farm.
Hedge-trimming disagreement
In her book Life On The Farm, Cowan explained a difference of opinion with Clarkson over how farmers trim hedges. Responding to a question about why farmers cut hedges slowly and during busy times, she said the job requires care and must be fitted around other tasks.
Cowan said: “You know hedge-cutting isn’t done deliberately slowly, right? It has to be that way? And you know we have to fit that job in around the hundreds of others that we do in the day, so sometimes it’s about when we can get out and get trimming and not about annoying people on the road.”
She added that Clarkson kept his hedges wild, saying: “And if you don’t trim your hedges, like I told Jeremy, who was being all weird keeping his hedges wild because he didn’t want ‘Surrey’ hedges or some crap, big birds will come and eat the little birds who are nesting.”
Protecting wildlife and seasonal change
Cowan emphasised that trimmed hedges become fuller and thicker, giving smaller birds and wildlife a better chance to survive. She said she cares more about that than delaying drivers on their way to the shops.
In an Instagram post, Cowan discussed the changing seasons, noting that farming makes people notice them more than most. She wrote: “There’s something about this time of year that always feels like a bit of a reset.”
She reflected on shorter days, colder evenings, and reaching for gilet and boots again. Cowan added: “I think farming makes you notice the seasons more than most. You don’t just see them change, you work your whole life around them.”
She concluded: “This year has already brought so many pinch-me moments, new opportunities, big changes and plenty of chaos along the way, but I think it’s these really ordinary moments that keep me grounded.”
