The first time I heard about The Tickell Arms was some 30 years ago when my parents has taken my brother for a special meal: the owner had apparently looked aghast at the casually-attired 11 year old, youth being no bar to the expectation of being properly attired in the pub's restaurant, and promptly lent him a jacket and tie. Times have changed: the charismatic owner of this infamous Cambs stalwart has long since retired and pubs with restaurants are ten a penny. But The Tickell (it seems to have dropped the “Arms” now, I can't think why, are limbs not trendy?) has been taken over by a small local gastro chain so I maintain high hopes for its integrity. The decor is in tune with London trends: quirky feather wallpaper adorns the walls, bowler hat lights illuminate the bar, but green leather banquettes and old fashioned architectural prints keep it from straying too far for rural folk into kookyville. They've done a good job of trying to integrate the 80s conservatory into the rest of the space but it still feels a bit echo-y on this empty Wednesday winter evening. There's not going to be any passing trade out here so I wonder if the food will be enough to make sure it's rammed at least at the weekends? Well, let me tell you, it is. The menu isn't long but all the dishes are traditional-with-a-twist appealing. I had a potted mackerel starter, beautifully creamy with chunky bits of fish and, nice touch, a tart rhubarb compote. Then we shared the beef wellington: a hunk of pink beef (perfectly cooked but sadly a touch bland in the meat itself) in a beautiful pastry with lovely pancetta sauce (which gave the dish the required hit of flavour) and a pile of some of the best pub chips around (crispy on the outside, fluffy on the inside). We finished off with a good creme brulee and a deliciously unusual cider brandy. Service is friendly and competent. At around £100 (incl 3 glasses of house red but excl service) I thought it was well worth the journey. But will locals swallow the London pricing as well as the London decor? I don't know.