Nottinghamshire is blessed with an abundance of village pubs but it's not just the pints being pulled that make them worth a visit. Many of the country inns are smashing it when it comes to exceptionally good food.
The Kitchen at the Cross Keys in Epperstone, a quintessential country pub, is one of them. And to prove it, it has made it into the finals of the Great British Pub Awards in the best pub food category. The accolades attracted a record number of entries for 2022, which have been whittled down to the very best the nation has to offer.
We decided to try it for ourselves and as soon as we pull into the car park there's something instantly appealing - and it's not just the sizeable beer garden. The parking area is flanked by rows of apple trees with an abundance of fruit - I hope the apples are used by the chefs - but there's more. One noisy cockerel and his two handsome companions welcome us with a loud cock-a-doodle-doo.
