The film hunk — who gained a number of female admirers after he donned a pair of blue swimming trunks in Casino Royale — turned heads when he had lunch at the Blue Lion Inn in East Witton, near Leyburn, North Yorkshire.

There were no dry martinis for the actor who plays the famous spy . . . instead he sipped Bloody Mary cocktails and dined on roast partridge.

Daniel, 40, who got his big break in the BBC drama Our Friends in the North, was with his girlfriend Satsuki Mitchell and friends, including art dealer Jay Jopling and his wife, the artist, Sam Taylor Wood, who own a house in the Yorkshire Dales.

Manager Craig Turner revealed the actor has visited the 18th-century country inn a few times.

He said: “He’s been before, so I sort of know him. He came with some friends of his for lunch. They sat in the bar at the corner table and were drinking Bloody Marys. I chatted to him a couple of times during the lunch. He’s a really nice guy.

“The ladies did turn their heads when he arrived and they were all wanting to see him. We were packed out anyway as it is always a very busy time of year, but there did seem to be a lot of female customers asking when Daniel is coming back.

“When he comes up he stays with his friend Jay Jopling. He came in a couple of times in 2006 and just once in 2007.”

The blue-eyed heart throb didn’t turn up in his trademark Aston Martin . . . instead he came in a 4x4. He also didn’t let slip any Hollywood secrets and management would not reveal if he left a big tip.

Craig added: “He didn’t stay overnight on New Year’s Eve and he didn’t talk about work.

“He chatted to the owner Paul Klein and left a signed photograph, which we are probably going to put up in the bar.”

The Chester-born actor isn’t the first celebrity to visit the eatery and hotel. In the last few years, Hollywood actress Kate Winslet, singer Lulu and Prince Charles have all visited the pub.

тут