LOG fires and wooden beams greet you when you visit the Cross Keys in Corsley, near Warminster, which has just come under new management.

With more than 30 years of experience in the pub trade, Vic Taylor, 52, and his wife Lynn, 49, are keen to return the Cross Keys in Lyes Green to its former glory as a quaint old village pub.

Mr Taylor said: “Our main aim is to try to get the pub back to being a village pub and we are doing very well at that.

“It’s also about getting it back to proper prices, before they used to charge £40/£50 a head.”

One of the main draws, apart from the home-cooked food, is the new relaxation area with games such as ‘Ring the Bull’. This involves swinging a piece of string until it lands on the hook.

The couple are originally from Southampton where they ran a pub for 20 years.

“We are semi-retired but realised we couldn’t get out of the game,” Mr Taylor said.

“The pub is absolutely beautiful. We love it. It’s quaint and there’s no traffic going past, unlike the pub in Southampton which was a town pub.

“We have got a lovely building now and a nice garden.”

Starter and light bite dishes include everything from soup of the day or grilled mushrooms and Stilton on toasted bread to prawns and crispy salad or baked Camembert with tomato chutney.

Prices vary from £3.95 to £6.95.

Main meals include home- cooked pie of the day, 8oz sirloin steak, pan fried duck breast, gammon steak, ham, egg and chips and bubble and squeak cooked with Lincolnshire sausages and red wine gravy.

Pasta dishes and omelettes are also served, as are fish dishes, such as whole tail scampi with fries and pan- fried salmon fillet with new potatoes.

Dishes average at £8.95 or £13.95 for the ‘mega mixed grill’.

Desserts cost £4.25 and include everything from chocolate fudge cake, sticky toffee pudding or a cheese platter. A choice of ice creams are also available.

A Sunday lunch, with a choice of four meats including pork, lamb, beef and turkey, is served from 12pm to 3pm costing £8.95 a head.

Children and dogs are welcome and a seating area for customers and man’s best friend is also available.

FACT FILE:
  • The Cross Keys, Lyes Green, Corsley, near Warminster, BA12 7PB. Call (01373) 832406.
  • Food is served from 12pm to 3pm and 6.30pm to 9pm Wednesday to Saturday. Sunday lunch is available from 12pm to 3pm.
  • A function room for a maximum of 60 people can be hired any time of the year for weddings, portable skittle alleys and other events.
  • No disabled facilities available.
  • The pub opening hours are from 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm daily.