The Cross Inn

The food was good, and the soup was lovely. When I arrived, a friendly girl was serving. Later, I sat at the bar and the chef told me the Queen of Thailand had died the day before. I offered my condolences and said I remembered how I felt when our Queen passed away. The chef then launched into what I can only call an attack on our Queen, bringing up Diana and refusing to listen to anything I tried to say. It felt completely uncalled for. She went out for a cigarette, I think. I got a bit of conversation from the lad behind the bar, who I think said he was Polish. He also said he was going for a cigarette, so I offered to let anyone who came in know he wouldn't be long. A few people did come in, and he returned straight away. After that, though, he seemed more interested in his mobile, reading messages while pulling pints. One man pointedly said, 'when you are ready', but he didn't seem to pick up on it. Service was severely lacking, even though the food was good. It was Saturday evening, and there weren't many people in the pub by around 9 when I left. Honestly, that didn't surprise me. Such a shame.

There's a real fire and a cosy, friendly, homely feel in this pub. The beers on tap were great, and the alcohol-free IPA was excellent. It tasted so close to the regular version you really wouldn't know the difference. Heptenstall is a lovely little village that feels stuck back in time. Magic.

After a day of foraging, we like stopping here for food and a drink. It’s cosy, the staff are friendly, and there’s no music drowning out the conversation, so you can actually talk.

We went for the weekend in September and had a lovely time. The room was clean and nice, and the Thai food was the best I’ve had. We’re looking forward to coming back. We’re moving to Hebden Bridge now, so this will be our first stop on moving day!