WHEN Kirsty Franks discovered her husband had set the ball rolling to take on a pub, she wasn’t happy.

The couple had talked about running their own micro pub, but it was still a bit of shock to find it was going to happen. “I came home from work to find Paul had signed up for it - to be honest I could have killed him,” she says. “I just hadn’t expected it.”

But since that day, when they took on the lease of a former post office, the couple have not looked back and love being at the helm of The Cracker Barrel in Harrogate Road, Greengates, which is the Telegraph & Argus Pub of the Week.

“It just went on from there and it’s been brilliant,” said Kirsty who, a few months later, gave up her job in the payroll department at Sainsbury’s in Manchester to join Paul, who formerly worked in the building trade.

“It was Paul’s idea to convert the premises,” she said. “He had made a ‘man pub’ in our back garden and a friend, who’s a pub landlord, suggested he try to get it licensed. Paul said no, because of the neighbours, but decided to look for a suitable place.”

Not long after, the post office came up and we thought it was the ideal location, close to our home in Greengates where we both grew up.”

She added: “We were total novices, we did not know how many pints we would need to sell to cover our mortgage and overheads - It was quite a scary time - and we have got three children so it was a juggling act.”

During the nine-month renovation, the couple were heartened by the number of people who came up to ask about the pub. “they were really keen to come along and it took off from the moment we opened.”

Four years on, and the pub continues to thrive. They named it Cracker Barrel after the chain of country store/restaurants the family enjoy visiting on trips to the USA. It derives from the barrels of soda crackers that were for sale in early 20th century - people used to gather around them to chat.

“Those stores are really homely and, as the owner of the building wasn’t keen on us referring to the former post office, it seemed perfect,” said Kirsty.

Having seen how the pub functioned, they carried out a further renovation last year, relocating the bar and installing a second toilet.

“We watched and listened to people, and knew what we needed to improve.”

It’s a welcoming, traditional interior. “There’s a lot of wood, lots of blues and browns - it’s very homely, I love it,” said Kirsty. Family friend Sammi helps out on a Saturday.

There’s space for customers to sit outside and enjoy a beer.

They are now heading back to normality. “It is getting busier and people are getting their confidence back. There is a real community feel here and people are supporting us.”

Kirsty and Paul have also been involved in raising funds for local causes including a defibrillator, which is on the outside of the pub.

*The Cracker Barrel, 832 Harrogate Rd, Greengates, Bradford BD10 0RA