DAISY FROST
31st. August 2001
One of the country's longest-serving barmaids has celebrated her 80th birthday - but she has no intention of calling time just yet. Daisy Frost has worked at the Yorkshire Hussar Inn at Markington, near Ripon, for 56 years. When she started there they only had two barrels behind the bar, one of bitter and one of mild, compared with a whole host of beers, lagers, wines and spirits now on sale. But Daisy said that the biggest change in working at the pub for over half a century is the difference in prices.
"Bottles were one and eight and now their £2 and a pint of bitter was one and four and they’re £1.80 now. They just go up and up. Back then I can remember you could get a packet of cigarettes with a box of matches and you'd get change out of six pence, now they're £4."
The price of a bottle of beer at one and eight in 1945, is roughly equivalent to 9p today. A pint of bitter at one and four is about 6p today. Daisy said she did not know where she got the energy from to continue working at the pub but explained that she works three days a week and still enjoys half a bitter and the occasional whisky after work.
31st. August 2001
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.