A Southampton woman has been named one of Costa Coffee's best baristas in the world after wowing judges with her pumpkin-spiced drink. 

Michaela Wilson impressed coffee experts with her technical prowess and uniquely curated speciality drink, ‘Autumn Walks’, a drink forged from fond memories of her childhood. 

The 28-year-old, who works at the West End's Haskins Garden Centre, was over the moon after finishing third in the international competition. 

Speaking about the experience, Michaela said: "The finale was massively nerve-wracking but went really well. There will always be things that you look back on and think, ‘I could have done that better’, but I am so proud of what I have achieved. 

"The speciality drink element of the competition is one area where I don’t think I could have done anything differently.

"Overall, it was a fantastic experience to have, and I can’t wait to bring my learnings and experiences from this event back to my role at Haskins’ West End Centre."

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Daily Echo: Michaela Wilson (Right) with winner and runner up Michaela Wilson (Right) with winner and runner up (Image: Haskins Garden Centre)

The international competition final was a two-day event held at St. Pancras Pullman in London in front of a live audience.  

In the competition, Michaela went head-to-head with coffee specialists from Qatar, China, the Middle East, Europe, and more.

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Sandy Gourlay, senior account manager at Costa Coffee, added: "Michaela wowed the judges with her technical ability in handcrafting perfect drinks while demonstrating exceptional skills, performing under a huge amount of added pressure from lights, cameras, and a live audience.  

"Michaela’s speciality drink, ‘Autumn Walks,’ was based around her childhood Thanksgiving celebrations, featuring a homemade family pumpkin spice mix combined with Costa Coffee’s mocha Italia coffee. 

"The judges commented on the balance of spice, chilled coffee, and hot oat milk, creating an imaginative and unique experience."  

Jason Froggatt, group catering manager for Haskins, said: "As a company, Haskins aims to promote the personal development and growth of its colleagues as often as possible, and we have been running in-house ‘Barista of the Year' competitions for several years. 

"To see one of our own stars achieve global recognition from such a large brand emphasises our commitment to enabling our team to grow within the business. 

"We are proud to see colleagues such as Michaela acting as fantastic ambassadors for Haskins on a national and world stage."