An Oxfordshire woman is enjoying the sweet taste of success after being plucked from obscurity to become chief taster for Ribena, which has insured her tongue for £1.1m.

Emily Swinburn, 22, pictured, of Bure Park, Bicester, was studying English at Exeter University when she heard Ribena was doing a trawl to find someone with a sensitive palate who did not smoke or drink much alcohol.

She said: "We thought we'd go along for a laugh and it would be a good way to get some free Ribena."

She was chosen from among hundreds of hopefuls to become Ribena's chief taster. Miss Swinburn, who works for a research company in Banbury, was taken on as a consultant for Ribena, earning up to £1,000 a day.

She spent six months testing Ribena's new minty OOOOHH and spicy AAARGHH drinks, which have just gone on sale.

The company has told her not to drink very hot coffee, in case it burns her tastebuds.

Ribena brand manager Misel Van Boldrik said: "Emily has an amazing ability to differentiate between even subtle changes in the formulations."