THEY should make her saint. Over the (many) years she has quenched millions of thirsts and helped drown millions of sorrows - and her regulars think she is one in a million.

Remarkable Daisy Frost has spent an unrivalled 56 years behind the bar of The Yorkshire Hussar, Markington, near Ripon, and is still going strong.

She has definitely pulled more pints than Bar Talk has had hot dinners.

Born in 1921, Daisy started working as a barmaid for former landlord Jim Brayshaw in 1945 and hasn't looked back since.

"Jim took me on when I was 25," said Daisy, who you should be able to work out is now 80.

"When I first started I used to work in the house as a cleaner, but then moved on to work behind the bar.

" I've had some very happy times here. I keep threatening to retire, but I have made so many friends and I genuinely like my work so I don't think that I'll be stopping just yet.

"Although I do like a small whisky every now and again in the evenings I am a big John Smith's beer fan - I'm sure that's what has really kept me going all these years!" she joked.

Daisy is a widower of 20 years and is a mother of two.

u ALMOST a year after Joshua Titley precariously balanced out a window and declared York Brewery's Last Drop Inn open, Bar Talk's other half took his turn. Dan Beergutstein was given the honour of opening York Brewery's second offering, the Three-Legged Mare, on High Petergate.

Ingenuity by the builders ensured that no ladders or windows were needed by Dan to unveil the sign - just a tug of a rope.

It was his pleasure to open the boozer which immediately impressed all visitors on the VIP first night.

And even when they started charging for beer the next day, people still liked it.

The modern, yet traditional, chrome and wooden interior was a definite hit with the drinking public, as was the tremendous selection of Belgian bottles and real ales on offer.

The mis-spelt Sundried Toamto and Cheese Plait proved a hit the following lunchtime, with landlord James Butler proudly stating that the Mediterranean Deli style food was wonderful and his was the only pub in the city that sold 'toamto'.

The biggest surprise on day one in the history of the pub was the declaration by Radio York's Julia Booth that Beergutstein was "rake-like".

Using the visual power of radio to the full, Julia asked Dan live on air how he was so thin despite being a beer writer.

For the first time ever he was lost for words.

Dan truly has the perfect face and body for radio work.

u ONE of York's hidden treasures, the First Hussar, North Street, has got a new menu.

Branded the Witch's Kitchen, there is a wide selection of great value meals, and all good traditional pub fare.

When the most expensive thing on the menu is scampi for £3.60, it is hardly surprising that the menu is proving very popular with regulars.

The Giant Yorkshire Puddings are among the biggest pulls with landlady Jan's Chicken Curry another hit at £2.80.

With a city brimming with wine bars offering pretentious food at restaurant prices, it is good to see you can still get lunch without upsetting your bank manager.

The wide selection of real ales doesn't go amiss either.

u A COMBINATION of British sporting failure and Sky Sports has ensured very busy Saturdays for one city-centre pub.

For the past three weeks, the White Swan, Goodramgate, has been opening up early doors (don't worry, officer, no booze until 11am) to allow punters to catch the British Lions rugby team take on Australia.

Sales of soft drinks and coffee have gone through the roof and then there is a pub full of people bang on opening time.

Last week's defeat of the Lions should have seen the Swan full again for today's decider, ensuring at least one British winner from the event.