HE won the National Lottery, and now lucky Kenny Southwell's numbers have come up again - as his new pub gets the Bar Talk thumbs up. His venture, the Woodman, in beautiful Bishopthorpe, upset locals with its gaudy yellow exterior.

But good-humoured Kenny, who scooped not far short of a million quid on the Lottery's first draw, took the criticism of villagers who branded his boozer a 'custard monstrosity' very well indeed.

Not only has the original Evening Press story, pictured below, taken pride of place behind the bar, tins of the yellow dessert have also been added to the back-bar display.

His pub was visited as part of a Bar Talk crawl around five pubs in the Bishopthorpe area.

It could be the first in a series of a guides to pubs in our area, so if there are boozers you think need checking out, let us know.

Shoulder of Mutton Inn, Appleton Roebuck

Price for half a lime and lemonade, pint of bitter, glass of wine and gin and tonic: £6.26

Staff friendliness to southerners: 4/5 - didn't seem to mind.

Tolerance of locals to vocal companions: N/A - sat in beer garden.

A friendly and cosy venue situated just on the edge of a fantastic village green. This Sam Smith's pub offers a limited range at great prices. Beautiful pint of bitter and lovely wine. Friendly and cheery barman who reminded us all of Penfold from Dangermouse.

Worth a visit, the food on everyone else's table looked wonderful.

Ship Inn, Acaster Malbis

Price for same drinks: £7.70

Friendliness: 3/5 - average service.

Tolerance: N/A - sat in garden again.

We had been told the pub was expensive - but it wasn't unduly pricey. A very nice riverside pub offering tremendously high-quality food and a splendid beer garden. Packed on a Thursday night and well worth a visit. Lovely location but lacks a bit of character, both from staff and other customers.

Ebor, Bishopthorpe

Price: £6.13

Friendliness: 5/5 Lovely barmaid even asked if we were ready for more drinks just before we left

Tolerance 3/5 - our loudness was noticed.

Advertises itself as the 'locals' local' but still didn't seem to mind us being there. Refreshingly honest boozer, which seemed to look after its regulars well. Lots of fun was being had at the darts board and the females among us were very excited by the range of ice cream, chocolate and coffee available. Also the cheapest pub we visited.

Marcia, Bishopthorpe

Price: £7.85

Friendliness 2/5 - a little slow to be served

Tolerance: 4/5 - let us join in pool games.

The pub with the loudest music and the highest prices. Lots of young people, and a fair selection of old. Huge pub with a conservatory out the back and plenty of customers. Seems the most vibrant in the village although the John Smith's 'wasn't right clever'.

Woodman, Bishopthorpe

Price: £7.25

Friendliness: 4/5 - locals chatted to us despite what I had written.

Tolerance: 5/5 - we were drunk and no one minded.

A nicely refurbished pub that was surprisingly quiet. Only eight people were in at 10.30pm which seemed a shame. Clearly a lot of money has been spent on it and I am sure it should be busier. Good range of snacks, including chocolate raisins. 'Lovely toilets', according to the girls.

IT'S not the biggest pub in York. It's not the trendiest pub in York. But it serves a beautiful cold clear pint of beer and has one of the best jukeboxes in the city. It's time for a serious word about Walker's Bar, which has been known to crop up here or in Turpin for the daft things the staff (namely Harry the Barman) and regulars get up to especially after a beer or two.

Dave and Loraine Wiltshire left the pub two months ago, and a temporary manager, New Dave, took over. He has now gone and been replaced by Gary and Jimmy. They keep an excellent pint, have a wicked sense of humour and Jimmy knows lots of rugby songs.

From Tuesday, there will be half a dozen real ales on, including the wonderful 80 Shillings, and now that a couple of technical problems have been sorted out they should all be worth trying.

Jimmy, a chef, is putting proper food on too, including Sunday lunches. They are also starting a quiz night with liquid refreshment prizes, first one is this Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Walkers Bar's owners, Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises, are desperate to find a permanent friendly face to fit behind the bar, which already has planning permission for a major refurbishment.

Spokesperson Alex McArthur said: "It's a popular pub specialising in cask ales and we are currently looking for a franchisee to take on the lease of the pub."

Under this scheme, the company offers a franchisee the security of working in a successful business with essentials like accountancy and stocktaking already in place.

"The pub franchise scheme is designed to provide on-going guidance, with training playing a major role in helping franchisees get started and then honing their skills as they gain experience in their own pub," said Alex.

The refurb is due to begin at the end of the summer, so Alex said this "is a fantastic opportunity for anyone who is looking to run their own pub".

Any interested applicants should contact Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprises on 0500 949 596.