The Mayor of Gedling pulled the first pint of a new beer brewed especially to mark the completion of an Arnold pub’s £180k makeover.
The Mayor of Gedling Borough, Councillor Sandra Barnes, pulled the first pint of Keys Ale – which has brewed by the revived and historic Nottingham Brewery to celebrate the reopening of the Cross Keys on Front Street.
The renovation work has taken two weeks and also created three new jobs at the much-loved Stonegate Pub Company-owned site.
The Front Street venue received a complete makeover with new fixtures and fittings introduced, along with the introduction of new furniture and the installation of a new sports area.
The pub has also purchased two new darts boards for the two teams at the pub – which is a firm favourite for sports fans in the area. This is thanks to the complete sports coverage at the Cross Keys thanks to its five HD screens, which show Sky Sports, BT Sport and At The Races.
General manager, Mandy Morley, said: “The Cross Keys is a community pub and the locals are really looking forward to the changes we are going to make to it. It has always been a sports pub and this will continue – but we are really upping the drinks and food offer too. There will be strong focus on craft and cask ale and we will have a full programme of events throughout the week to keep people entertained.”
The Cross Keys will offer three real ales at all time, plus will have three guest ales on weekly in addition to a hand-pulled craft cider.
It will kick off each week with sports coverage on a Monday; Tuesdays will be the day the darts teams play. On Thursdays the Cross Keys will be running poker nights; Friday is Best of British and on a Saturday the pub will have live DJ from 9pm.
On a Sunday the Cross Keys is launching a new interactive TV quiz – which gives each team a handset for timed answering.
Mandy, who has been a pub manager for 10 years and has been brought to the Cross Keys specifically to oversee the refurbishment and beyond, added: “The interactive quiz will be a great addition to the pub and there has been a lot of interest in it. The locals can’t wait to try it out.”
The Cross Keys will also be offering a complete range of hearty and good value meals like a burger and a drink for £6.49 or an all-day breakfast for £4.99.
