College students hope their coffee will beat out the competition

Students at Mansfield’s West Nottinghamshire College have been perfecting their drinks-making skills as they compete in the heats of a national competition.
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A group of seven have been chosen to take on this year’s Nestlé Professional Toque D’Or challenge which will see them put together a hot or iced coffee drink of their choice for judges.

The judging team will be made up of members of the college’s executive team and Philip Trease, managing director of Weavers wine merchants in Nottingham.

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Competition rules state that the drink must be inspired by a country of their choice and the table must be laid up in that country’s style and culture and done on a budget of £5. Another part of the challenge asks students to look at the theme of sustainable futures.

Harry Rayment with his warming Norwegian inspired drinkHarry Rayment with his warming Norwegian inspired drink
Harry Rayment with his warming Norwegian inspired drink

Competitors must cover elements such as nutrition, health, food waste and seasonality and research how their country of choice implements these points and feedback their research to judges. Judges will mark their work on taste, texture, presentation, story behind their table theme, accuracy, hygiene and overall impression.

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Harry Rayment, Kai Blandy, Clara Betts, Annabelle Pye, Brooke Purdie, Lewis Finch and Aeron Buxton are the selected students who will be undertaking the challenge on February 7.

Clara Betts, 18, from Mansfield, said: “Originally I created a Chinese-themed iced oat milk coffee with a shot of vanilla syrup and rosewater. On top I used a violet cooled milk froth and decorated with flowers.

Principal Andrew Cropley judging Brooke Purdie's Jamaican coffee creationPrincipal Andrew Cropley judging Brooke Purdie's Jamaican coffee creation
Principal Andrew Cropley judging Brooke Purdie's Jamaican coffee creation
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“The practice session has been helpful in the lead up to February’s challenge as it’s allowed me to think of areas where I can improve my sustainability research side of things and I will be making my table larger and use more decoration to represent the country.”

Tutor Joanne Wilson said: “During the practice session we were really impressed by the students’ novel ideas with their coffee drinks. There was such attention to detail in how the drinks looked and tasted and our judges were suitable impressed."

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