When the judges said it was her “unrivalled love and passion” that put her head and shoulders above her rivals across the country they weren’t joking.

Whilst most baristas start their working day when they take their first morning order, the newly crowned ‘Best Barista’ in England is hard at work from the minute she wakes up – she says there’s nothing more important to the perfect cup of coffee than checking the weather forecast!

Our very own Lucia Gadau said: “The temperature and humidly outside can have a dramatic effect on the end result. A wet and windy day can be the deathknell for 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.”

Sardinia-born Lucia Gadau’s passion for coffee making is legendary at Nonnas. We describe her win at the coveted English Italian Awards 2016 as “a fairytale”.

Nonnas 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. It’s a huge accolade for us.”

Though Nonnas, which is presently celebrating its 20^th birthday, has always prided itself in its quality coffee we have to admit Lucia raised the bar to another level when she arrived in 2013.

Her determination to learn and deliver the ultimate blends of coffee have seen her move country twice, learn a new language and even get over the heartache of failed business back in her homeland.

Lucia 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 takes years to learn.”

41-year-old Lucia first started honing her craft when she was just 18 and living in Sardinia.

She has her husband to thank for her initial training.

Lucia Gadau received her award at the glitzy English Italian Awards 2016 that was held in Manchester.

She beat thousands of other baristas from right across the country to win.

This is the second national win in two years for Nonnas Sheffield. Last year they were award ‘best business’ in the country at the English Italian Awards 2016.