ON his deathbed Oscar Wilde declared that "my wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One or other of us has to go".

The wallpaper won.

Now I'm not saying that the wallpaper of the newly refurbished Tarn House Hotel bar area is a direct descendant of Oscar's last lament. But it's having a damn good try! Let's just say, it's very pink.

Oh, OK. I'd had a pig of a day, and the new look Tarn House offers such a total change in appearance and ambience that I momentarily thought I was back in my seven-year-old's very pink bedroom. It's all very nicely done, just a little bit sterile.

I turned up with Myself, Himself and The Child' and, with children banned from the bar we started out in the hotel reception area, which could put you off padded wicker furniture for life.

But as many people aren't aware the hotel has re-opened and some think it's not open to the public (think editor of this paper, cough, cough!) I can only say that it has, and it is. And, actually, it isn't bad at all!

There's a wide range of food on offer though very few vegetarian options (a few starters and only one main).

However we ploughed ahead with Himself and Myself going for chicken liver parfait to start and The Child choosing potato and cauliflower soup.

The parfait was really lovely, far too large a portion for a starter. But am I alone in hating those pre-packaged foiled butter portions? Not to mention slabs of toast that put my doorstep to shame?

The Child's soup was very good though!

Continuing my pig-of-a-day theme, I went for pork medallions in a pepper sauce - very nice but did someone's hand slip with the pepper? The requested iced water arrived within moments!

Himself declared the beef stroganoff with rice to be superb, but - shock, horror! - The Child barely touched her kid's meal of sausage, beans and chips. I was delighted! I find children's menus so patronising. To be fair, the Tarn House did offer children's portions for some of the main meals. But seeing as I can serve her junk at home could the chef please do a Jamie and rethink?

A decent homemade spag bol or mild curry always go down a treat with The Child and her friends at my house.

For pud we decided to share a raspberry pavlova that summed up our experience perfectly - nice but also a tad disappointing.

The Tarn House lacks the little touches that make a big difference. Our white wine was delivered already opened and with no cooler - it quickly became lukewarm. The bar and seating areas could do with something to promote a cosier atmosphere.

And I felt the presentation of the food didn't quite match up to the well-presented dining area. Prices are reasonable at £3.50 - £4.50 to start, mains at £8.95 - £12.95 (£14.50 for a steak) and all puds are at £3.75.

Despite these little niggles, we did enjoy our meal and wish the new owners and chef a prosperous future.

Not sure what Oscar would have made of the tartan carpet though!

Reviewed by: Eilise Bottomley