The Cross Keys, Thixendale: Meet the car dealer and nurse who have taken over their Yorkshire village pub after the landlords retired

“We fell in love with the village and the people when we moved in to rented accommodation in Thixendale three years ago,” says Tom, who was born in Dewsbury but from being very young had lived in Tamworth. “We found the village by accident. We had been to view another property and came through this amazing countryside and pretty village.

“Thixendale has the most unbelievable community spirit and Natalie and I love everything about it. Everyone gets on with each other and we all get together and do things as a community whether at village Hall parties and village events and birthday parties. Once we were here, we really didn’t want to be anywhere else.

Tom and Natalie were among the throng that toasted good health to the village pub’s long term hosts Steve and Mary Astley a few months ago, who now live three doors down. Tom says it wasn’t until the pub had closed that reality dawned over perhaps taking it on and he and Natalie making their own commitment to the community.

“Steve & Mary had it for 36 years until they retired three months ago. I was thinking that we might do something like this, run a village pub, when I was maybe in my late forties. I’m just turning 40, so it has come a bit earlier than I’d thought, but it is just a perfect spot and what I wanted to do long term.

“We were here on the last evening when Steve and Mary called it a day and the cogs were already turning, but we hadn’t made a move. We’d not had a conversation with anyone until about a week after Steve and Mary finished and there was nobody else taking it on at the time.

“We just thought we could make something of it, that we could have somewhere where we could live that wasn’t rented and we wanted the community to continue to have a pub. It’s always more difficult when a pub is shut because you don’t have that public place where anyone can come. That’s the thing about having a public house.

Tom is now totally committed to the pub’s future. He has quit his job with a car dealership in York to concentrate on the business that also includes three en-suite bed and breakfast letting rooms in a separate building in the same grounds.

“Natalie, who is from the East Riding but nearer the coast at Withernsea, handles all of the administration side and the bookings for the bed and breakfast as well as having her own job as a nurse practitioner in Holme on Spalding Moor. We now live above the pub where we have a 3-bedroomed flat.

“There are always people in and there are always people coming through whether in a car on a drive out, on a bike or walking. We have lots of trails and walks that come through the village.

“We get a lot of cycling and walking groups coming through. It’s not uncommon for groups of 20 to suddenly pack the pub for sandwiches, chips and drinks. We had group of 8 in the other day who all had a nice drink and bite to eat. Cyclists come here to stop off and enjoy themselves. We’ve already had people come in to start their cycle route from here who end up having 10 pints and stop the rest of the day or night and get their mates to come and pick them up.

“We knew it was incredibly well supported by everyone in the village as we frequented the pub on a regular basis. We had 20-30 cricketers in last Wednesday during and after the game. It’s always bustling and a lovely atmosphere. We’ve only been in three months but it feels good so far.

Tom and Natalie have made a few changes to the pub interior, but they are also careful over fixing what isn’t broken.

“We’ve spent a lot of time making some quite significant changes inside, and so it looks different, but there’s not a lot we can do with the layout, as it is just one small L-shaped room.

“We do food, including our Fish & Chip Thursday. We have a really simple menu of six options. We use fresh local produce. I do the cooking. It’s something I’ve always been interested in. We have Jim Bloom’s Wagyu steak from Warrendale.

“We only do one sitting so that people can stay and keep their drinks on the table throughout the evening, which most people want to do. We only have seven tables and our limit is 26 covers.

Tom says his original plan was for the pub to shut on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but that’s just Tuesdays at present as Thixendale cricket club play on a Wednesday night.

“We only do drinks on a Wednesday. We’ll see what happens when evening cricket finishes around mid-August.

While he was a regular at the other side of the bar, Tom says being at the landlord’s side has put him on a real learning curve.

“I’ve had to learn very quickly about how to keep a good pint and we pride ourselves on having a good range, being a free house. Currently we have Timothy Taylor Landlord, San Miguel, Yorkshire Blonde, Tetleys, Wainwright Gold and Hobgoblin Ruby, but we change every week or two.