Cross Keys, Belper

A town centre pub in the old higher bit of Belpher, it has two bars with a centre servery. The right hand bar is the main room with four pulls, a quad T-bar and a Staropremen solo, casks from Bass, Oakham Inferno and Thornbridge Jaipur. The right hand room has a pool table and a single quad T-bar. Traditional pub furnishing and plain decor of cream walls with a big screen and some old photos on William Morris wallpaper. Average town pub but fairly popular.

A former Batemans house until March of this year when it was refurbished and taken over by Pub People Company. The pub has a bar and lounge side separated by a central bar. The lounge side was comfortable and traditionally decorated, along with a log burning stove. The staff and locals were friendly and chatty. Five pumps with three in use serving 1 cider, Dark Drake and Jaipur.

I've been to Belper many times, but this was the first occasion I've found this pub open. Just two beers available among the four hand pumps: Batemans XB and Gold. A few pump clips testifying to the pub's former guest beer policy were also seen. We were the only customers at what we would guess might be soon after opening (5:30pm) but much earlier times are stated on WhatPub and the Batemans website. The XB was in shockingly bad condition, but we decided not to complain about it as the only member of staff, although friendly and welcoming, seemed likely to be new to the business and it wouldn't have been his fault that the beer was so bad. Besides, what would we have drunk instead? So, apart from beer and customers, this was a fairly pleasant pub, with pool table, darts, beer garden...and loud background music. I mentioned the state of the beer in this pub when chatting about how variable beer quality can be, coincidentally with the licensee of another Belper pub a few weeks later. "I wouldn't even drink Guinness in that pub," he said. Date of visit: 20th July 2022