You will find the atmosphere at the swan with two necks friendly and relaxed.

We hope you find our attention to detail and service truly memorable, and we look forward to hosting you, your friends, and family time after time.

I can't wait to tell my friend's about ugly ducklings change.

Alan Coookman (The Sentinel)

The last time we ate here, I likened the property to the scene of the crime in an Agatha Christie mystery.

Ivy-clad and with an air of genteel decay, it looked from the outside like the kind of place where Exhibit A - the body of the wealthy widow - is found lying at the foot of the stairs.

Whodunnit? The ne'erdowell nephew with his spiralling gambling debts, or the embittered chauffeur who'd been dismissed for impregnating the maid?

If the wayside inn was dripping with character on the outside, however, the interior did little to reinforce any imagined association with classic crime fiction.

Here the only crime was that of neglect.

The Swan With Two Necks was then a noisy family venue long overdue for a facelift. Shocked by the shabby fixtures and fittings, Hercules Poirot would have wiped his feet on the way out.

I remember thinking that there was nothing wrong with the place that half a million wouldn't put right.

And that's exactly what has happened. New owners have lavished just under £500,000 on what is not so much a refit as a reinvention.

The name is the same, but The Swan With Two Necks has changed from top to bottom, inside and out. Genteel decay has been replaced by contemporary chic, a cool modern look that makes you wonder how they managed it on only a half a million.

Outside, the front of the building is painted fresh, pale cream and grey, and the soft grey dominates inside, where the decor is clean and tasteful and animal skins are spread on polished wooden floors ("Major roadkill," said The Son & Heir).

We were all a bit lost for words, especially The Girlfriend, who could hardly believe it was the same place. "It was such a dump," she said.

Service and presentation is spot on, and the menu is as impressive as the transformation. I particularly like the idea of the "deli sharers for two", which start at £4.50 for garlic, rocket and parmesan flatbread to £8.95 for smoked salmon, prawns, smoked mackerel, crab claws, olives and bread.

With The Son & Heir, I shared the selection of cold meats, which is also £8.95 for two, and consists of prosciutto, salami, beef carpaccio, and some incendiary chorizo, as well as olives and bread.

From the list of five starters, Herself ordered the traditional fishcakes with salsa salad (£5.75) and said she had never eaten fishcakes with quite so much fish in them. They looked like fishcakes ought to look, and she said they were simply awesome. Also from the starters, The Girlfriend opted for skewered tiger prawns with sweet chilli dip, and they looked like prawns that had been planning to join WeightWatchers before fate intervened. I've seldom seen fatter and juicier prawns.

There's a choice of salads that can be ordered either as starters or mains, and locally-sourced ribeye (£13.95), sirloin (£15.95) or fillet (£17.95) from the char grill, in addition to the list of 10 main dishes, with an average price of £10.

Free range poussin chicken with hand-cut chips is £9.95; pan-fried seabass is £13.50; and wild mushroom risotto is £9.25.

I had the deliciously slow-roast shoulder of lamb on herb and apricot couscous (£12.95); Herself had the tender pork medallions with mash and mango salsa (£10.75); The Girlfriend had tasty penne pasta, tomato concasse with buffalo mozzarella and basil (£8.25); and The Son & Heir enjoyed a perfectly-grilled 10oz ribeye steak (£13.95).

Desserts range from apple and blackberry crumble with custard (£4.95) to double chocolate torte with mixed berry compote (£5.75), but it was all we could do to share the cheese selection (£8.25 for two), while finishing the last of the superb CÔtes de Beaune Bour Pinot Noir (£15.95 and worth it).

The bill includes a request to tell 100 of my best friends if I enjoyed the meal.

What about all my other best friends?