Midland's Barista Champion crowned

Hosted by Stokes of Lincoln at the Drill Hall in Lincoln last week, 14 baristas from the region and beyond competed against each other to make the finest coffees. As well as being awarded overall regional winner, Draper also collected the prize for Best Espresso and came joint first in the Best Speciality Drink category. Draper commented: "Ever since I watched the 2009 UKBC finals in Glasgow I knew that I would enter myself one day. First though, I had the intense journey of opening my own little coffee shop and share my love of coffee with the people of Norwich. "I have now had my first year of success at The Window in Norwich - we celebrated our first birthday two days after winning the Midlands heats! Running my own shop has given me the confidence and belief in my abilities as a barista to enter this competition. "It has also been great to step out of my comfort zone and meet the wonderful people involved in the coffee industry. To come first in my heats was like an out-of-body experience! I truly believe when you're doing what you love, good things will happen!" During the heat, Draper was required to make four espressos, four cappuccinos and four espresso based non alcoholic signature drinks. Hayley's signature drink was inspired by all the things she enjoys in life - coffee, looking after her bees, summer days, nature and being outdoors. The beverage was described as a very bright, refreshing and palate cleansing experience for the judges. Made from espresso, lemongrass, honey from Hayley's own bees, cascara jelly (cascara is the dried fruit of the coffee cherry) and sparkling water, it resembled a lemon sherbet! These drinks were then marked by two technical and four sensory judges together with a Head Judge who assessed the quality of the drinks, knowledge of the entrants as well as their attention to detail and creativity of their signature drink.