HAVING heard The Cross Keys Inn on Royal Wootton Bassett High Street was now boasting an authentic taste of Italy from its revamped kitchen I didn’t have to be asked twice to pay it a visit.

Heralded on its website as the oldest pub on Bassett High Street, the Grade II listed building dating from the 1740s certainly has a colourful history of its own.

A little over a year ago it reopened following a devastating fire which saw it out of action for almost two years. Hundreds of thousands of pounds later the historic coaching inn doors swung open once again to welcome back a loyal following.

And now an extensive refurbishment inside has seen the inn take on a more rustic, modern look to complement the new continental additions to its menu.

With that in mind, one chilly October Sunday afternoon the Other Half and I decided a taste of warmer climes was definitely what was needed as autumn began to bite. So we could both enjoy a drink we decided to jump on the bus from Swindon to Bassett, which only takes around about half an hour – and runs surprisingly late into the night, giving us plenty of time to enjoy a leisurely evening meal.

From the pavement outside you would never know that two years ago the roof beams were exposed while flames roared out of the top of the picturesque inn while the town’s firefighters battled to save as much of the Cross Keys as they could.

Today it is the sort of scene that VisitWiltshire would probably select to entice city dwellers to Wiltshire on the promise of discovering unspoiled England.

Inside though, it is a far different story. The £110,000 refurbishment of the interior has seen the pub opt for a colour palette of pastel greys and teals, with a hodgepodge of mismatched furniture – deliberately selected to look authentically different. It’s a look that has been done many times over – particularly so in the Cotswolds – which shows that this pub knows the market it is trying to tap into.

Despite the modern take on the historic inn, it retains its sense of intimacy with two cosy bar areas, a larger restaurant that looks out onto the beer garden, which has covered seating, rattan sofas and outdoor heaters. We opted for a table right in the corner by the window and eagerly perused the menu.

With no table service, it’s a case of ordering at the bar, and we opted to do all three courses individually to allow us plenty of time to enjoy our meals.

The inn is keen to show off its new toy – a new pizza oven - and our eyes were immediately drawn to the pizza offering on the menu, which it informed us would be “love at first bite”.

“It starts from the bottom up. Our bespoke bases are made using authentic Italian ingredients and carefully pulled and rolled by hand. We then top with our hand-picked ingredients, each bursting with flavour, and stone-bake to crispy perfection,” the menu continues. Well, that was me sold.

To get us into the Italian spirit we opted for three snack plates from the sharer menu (£10.95 in total) selecting the honey and balsamic chorizo, sweet chilli halloumi and bread and olives.

Each were presented on small, wooden chopping boards in white ceramic dishes – which made for a pleasant surprise from the now run-of-the-mill roof slates we were expecting to be served on, given the restaurant’s decor.

The spicy pan-friend chorizo was glazed with balsamic vinegar and honey and almost led to an over-the-table squabble over who had had the most when it came to the final chunky slice. The bread was light and crisp and was well-paired with the olives.

Boards cleared, we were now all fired-up for our authentic Italian pizzas. The Other Half saw the words “smoked salmon” and that was his mind made up right from the off.

Promising to be covered in shards of smoked salmon, ricotta, capers, rocket and lemon oil it seemed an absolute steal at just £8.50. Equally as mouth-watering was the sirloin steak pizza for myself, which would come with slices of tender beef with red onions and gorgonzola for the tender price of £9.75.

But the pizzas have obviously proven so popular that when I returned to the bar to place our order I was told they were all out of pizza dough. Evidently the ship from Italy had been caught up in bad weather trying to make its latest delivery to keep up with demand. Damn.

It being Sunday, and having to think quickly on my feet at the bar I plonked for two topside of British beef Sunday dinners. The staff were incredibly apologetic, but we weren’t too disappointed. Though with hindsight, halloumi and chorizo aren’t necessarily the best forerunners to an English roast.

The popularity of the pizzas was evidenced again shortly afterwards when another couple were seated in the restaurant, only to be told the same as I had that they were all outta dough. It would seem that this was the second occasion this particular lady had been told this, and she was most disappointed as they had come in today for her birthday.

From somewhere, the kitchen staff managed to rustle her up a pizza, which was paired with a glass of fizz by way of an apology. By the looks of it, the pizza looked grand.

Our own mains were a little disappointing - not simply because they weren’t pizzas, but because it felt a little cheated. In the Davy-Osborne household the Sunday lunch is somewhat of a ritual and I am afforded free reign in the kitchen (a rare luxury, I tell you!) I toil away to ensure all the timings are correct so the roast potatoes are crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, while my Yorkshire puddings rival the David Murray John Tower.

Unfortunately the potatoes and batter puddings seemed as though they may have come in pre-prepared, which was surprising for a roast costing £10.95. There was no faulting the meat though – it was cooked well and remained tender.

Looking once more to the menu The Other Half opted for the salted caramel chocolate fudge cake (£4.75) and I went for the red berry crumble although unfortunately the inn was all out of berries and crumble as well, so I went for the vanilla crème brûlée instead (also £4.75).

We couldn’t fault the desserts. The fudge cake was incredibly rich, but immensely satisfying, while the crème brûlée was thick and creamy – and the blow-torched topping split with a gratifying crack.

What we had tasted of the Cross Keys' foray into the Italian mountains in search of their Fiore de Latte mozzarella, San Marzano tomatoes and Veronetto salami had been pretty much on point. We shall just have to make a return visit to see if the pizzas live up to their hype.

The Cross Keys Inn

136 High Street, Royal Wootton Bassett SN4 7AY

www.crosskeysinnwoottonbassett.co.uk

Parking: Town centre car parks

Disabled access: yes

Adver ratings

Food: 7/10

Choice: 8/10

Décor: 8/10

Customer service: 7/10

TripAdvisor rating: 4/5