The Cross Keys, Bedford

With the Swan closed for refurbishment the Cross Keys was the only source of refreshment in Cranfield during my visit to the area on Friday afternoon. I found the woman on duty to be very polite and friendly, but there was only one other customer. He was watching a wildlife documentary about gorillas so the atmosphere was hardly enthralling in the left hand public bar. Whilst waiting for our drinks to be poured I noted the presence of a standard draught range alongside three hand pumps that were drawing Deuchars IPA, Sharp’s Doom Bar and Fullers’ London Pride. To the left of the bar is a dartboard and doors that lead to a large car park. In the right hand side of the pub is a seating area identified as the ‘Lounge Restaurant’. I didn’t spot any food advertised, but then I didn’t look that hard. The bar had a smaller selection of draught than that of the public bar and three more hand pumps looked more for show than use. In the corner of this U shaped room was a small bookshelf packed with children’s books and colouring pages as well as pens and pencils. There was also a box with toys and a small snooker/pool table that sits on a couple of table tops. A piano by the door hinted at live music and a large plasma screen on the edge of the bar was a sign that live sport may be shown here. Out the back is a paved area with some picnic tables and beyond is a hedge lined grass covered area that houses some children’s apparatus including a large boot with slide. To the right of the pub is a larger grass covered area that looked perfect for a kick about. The welcome was very friendly, but I didn’t really rate this pub and wouldn’t go out of my way to return.

A substantial and traditional pub on the main road through the village, it has some attractive features such as leaded windows and consists of two L-shape bars wrapped around a central serving counter as well as a few tables and chairs on the small patio at the front. It was very quiet on a recent Tuesday evening visit, in fact completely deserted other than one punter outside smoking. I rang the bell on the counter, but still no-one appeared to serve me. With half the pub in darkness I was beginning to wonder if it was actually open. Eventually someone turned up though. The public bar is to the left and front of the pub, and this consists of a red tiled floor with a couple of old rugs dotted around, cream painted wallpaper with dark wood panelling on the lower part of the walls and red padded bench seating and bar stools. A darts board was on one wall and a plasma on another and although this was not in use when I visited, I understand that Sky Sports is available. The lounge bar to the right and rear of the pub had more of a green colour scheme as far as I could see and was fully carpeted. The food menu was a basic pub grub affair with options such as Fish & Chips, Ham Egg & Chips, Chilli Con Carne, etc., although a number of these were unavailable. Most of the main courses were around the £8 mark. My Scampi & Chips was decent enough and a generous portion, although not exactly a great test of the chef’s prowess of course. It was a shame that it was so quiet as it was difficult to get a feel for the atmosphere the pub may have had if it had been busier. Once the smoking punter had left, I was the only one in there for a while and with the lack of any background music it was a slightly surreal experience. The friendly landlady did explain that many of the local old boys turn up at about 10:00pm when their wives have gone to bed! Some planning for a forthcoming pub quiz was in progress, so clearly they do get busier on occasions. Beers on tap were Greene King IPA and Doom Bar. The solitary cider was Strongbow, unfortunately.