The Cross Keys Inn, Corsley

I was lucky enough to visit this great place for a meal with some family and friends recently. I must confess to being fairly local so I have known the pub through several changes of hands, but hopefully that makes me fairly well qualified to comment.

The trouble with a lot of pubs in villages is that they get the pitch all wrong. You tend to find over-priced pseudo gastronomic over-ambition or, alternatively, an unwelcoming sea of insipid Iceland chicken nuggets; so it is rare indeed to encounter people who do it just right. Which is where Mike and Elena (and their staff) come in. These guys clearly know what they're doing.

If you go for a meal in the Cross Keys right now you will be delighted by a compact yet perfectly varied menu, a refreshing lack of pretension, attentive (but not too attentive!) staff, relaxed surroundings, and food of the highest quality (and a testament to an exceptional and intelligent chef).

I think the highlight for me was just how well the food side of things was thought out. I think everyone in my party had a different meal and they were all excellent. Nothing was ostensibly flashy, or affectedly �gastro�, it didn�t need to be as the devil was in the detail. This was great tasting, honest, perfectly cooked, and highly memorable food.

Value for money is also in abundance, the menu is perhaps �reassuringly expensive� but not extortionate compared to many places who are simply not in the same league, and you do get the feeling you are getting quality ingredients cooked by skilled hands, so you feel you got exactly what you paid for.

It really was a case of everything being �just so� and I came away wanting to tell everyone about the place. The little secret going on is that Elena and Mike have extremely impressive CVs within the trade, and when you have a meal at the Cross Keys it really does show. I just pray that given the current climate, the industry, and this dour and miserly country in general, they both have the chance to do their magic at the Keys for many years to come, or until they move onto even better things.

I would have no hesitation in recommending this pub/restaurant to anyone, it is impossible not to come away impressed. 11/10.

10 Jul 2009 21:43