For the record, there are Union requirements in AFTRA and other theater guilds concerning food, toilets, clean costumes, and so forth for actors. This came after decades of abuse by theaters. Front of the house was for paying customers and clean. Backstage it would be filthy. No bathrooms, so actors had to piss in the sinks. No place to hang up costumes. Costumes never got laundered. They reeked. You can imagine the slop they provided the actors for food. If they even bothered offering any food. It was a lot different during the days of Vaudeville and Burlesque. The guilds fought hard to get actors decent and clean working environments.
I’m just saying it was the producers responsibility to ensure good food was waiting at the end of a work day. Craft services is part of the contract. Especially since it was for the stars of one of the BBC’s biggest rated shows. A steak isn’t outrageous for somebody if their work is generating millions of dollars in revenue.
I just wonder how many other times Clarkson and the others got back to the hotel and found cold cuts waiting for them? How many other times did he ask politely for better food? Before he finally got fed up (LOL) and went off on the producer? I don’t know if this was the first cold meal or not. Since they’ve been filming for quite a few years it seems likely this has happened before.