Barista's attention to detail has the judges frothing

Lucia Gadau, 41, who works at Nonna’s at Ecclesall Road, Sheffield, first started honing her craft when she was just 18 and living in Sardinia.

Staff at Nonna’s, which is presently celebrating its 20th birthday, say she has taken their coffee to another level since joining in 2013.

She has now been named ‘best barista’ at the English Italian Awards, which celebrate the best of Italian businesses in England.

Mrs Gadau is hard at work from the minute she wakes up and says there’s nothing more important to the perfect cup of coffee than checking the weather forecast.

She said: “The temperature and humidity outside can have a dramatic effect on the end result. A wet and windy day can be the death knell for a quality cup of cappuccino and only a highly trained barista will know what steps to take to ensure the drink is still the very best.”

Nonna’s proprietor Maurizio Mori said: “I spotted her attention to detail immediately – if her coffee isn’t one hundred per cent to her liking it won’t be served. I’m confident of saying we are now serving the very best coffee anywhere in the county.”

Mrs Gadau said: “I believe in absolute perfection in coffee. So many baristas cut corners and serve poor coffee. They don’t use the correct pressure on the machine, don’t use the correct milk consistency, don’t handle the coffee correctly – these are all precise skills that take years to learn.”