A proper Shropshire country pub, built around food, warmth and time well spent.

The Cross Keys sits in the village of Kinnerley, near Oswestry, with the feel of a proper country pub: welcoming, characterful and easy to settle into. It is a place for locals, visitors, families, regulars and anyone looking for good food without formality.

Run by Matt and Ailsa, The Cross Keys brings together years of hospitality experience with a simple understanding of what makes a pub work: a warm welcome, well-kept drinks, carefully cooked food and an atmosphere that makes people want to stay a little longer.

Built on experience.

Matt began his career at Hobsons Brewery, working his way up from part-time bar jobs into management. He later ran The Charlton Arms and The Church Inn in Ludlow for Cedric and Claude Bosi, before going on to run the successful Bennetts End in Knowbury, near Clee Hill.

Ailsa brings her own long-standing experience in hospitality across Shropshire. Together, Matt and Ailsa now run both The Cross Keys and The Herbert Arms in Chirbury, bringing the same focus on good food, warm service and proper pub hospitality to each venue.

They understand pubs from every angle: the bar, the kitchen, the service, the regulars and the small details that shape how a place feels.

 

Food-led, but still a pub at heart.

The Cross Keys has earned its place as a destination food pub, welcoming people from Kinnerley, Oswestry and further afield. Food is a big part of what brings people here, with modern British cooking, carefully cooked steaks, Sunday lunch and seasonal menus made for unhurried meals around the table.

But the pub itself matters just as much. You can call in for a drink, meet friends at the bar, bring the family for lunch or book a table for dinner. The food is taken seriously, but the atmosphere remains relaxed, friendly and unmistakably pub-like.

 

At the heart of the village.

For Matt and Ailsa, The Cross Keys is not just a business. It is part of the village and part of local life. The aim is to keep it that way: a pub that looks after its regulars, welcomes new faces and gives people a reason to come together.

That balance is what defines The Cross Keys: local enough to feel familiar, good enough to make the journey for, and always focused on proper hospitality.