NEWS that a traditional village pub in Bromham near Devizes was to become an Indian restaurant did not go down well with all the locals.

But several months on from the transformation of the Oliver Cromwell into the Coconut, word of mouth said it was worth a visit.

I went as part of a group of six on a Friday evening and first impressions were very good. The rather dark and gloomy interior was transformed into a light and bright space with white walls, white chairs and gleaming linen.

The service from the moment we entered was attentive, friendly and assured. I had heard that the food on offer was more refined than your average curry house and we found this was true.

Even the poppadoms, which came on the house, were a cut above the normal being light, airy and triangular. The mint yoghurt sauce that was one of three accompaniments was particularly delicious.

I usually do not bother with a starter in an Indian restaurant and move straight from poppadoms to main course. But in the interest of research I decided to try grilled king prawns while my daughter Francesca had crab meatballs and we shared a bit of each.

Both were delicious and presented in a modern artistic way. My husband was particularly impressed with his baby lamb chops.

On to the mains and Francesca, who only ever eats chicken korma and was worried it would not taste the same as usual, declared it the best she had ever had. The chicken was moist and tender and the sauce was creamy with a depth of flavours.

Her boyfriend Liam turned a little red and watery eyed as his garlic chilli chicken packed more of a punch than he had been expecting.

The restaurant has an extensive wine list but we stuck with traditional Indian beers. Both Cobra and Kingfisher are on draught while my son tried the bottled Bangla.

Total bill for the food without drinks for six us came to around £120, which at £20 a head for a starter and main we considered good value for the quality of the food and overall dining experience. If only it was within walking distance of our home in Devizes then we would be regulars but we are sure to be back before too long.