You'll have to make do with Kirstie

Kirstie's Handmade Britain

Channel 4

What with the property market in the doldrums, the fragrant Kirstie Allsop of Location Location Location-fame has surely found she's got some time on her hands.

So not wishing to miss a trick, she's returned to our screens with Kirstie's Handmade Britain.

Tapping into the growing trend for making do, and making it yourself, her first series Kirstie's Home-made Home, was all about showing us lots of crafts and encouraging us to have a go as she spruced up her own Devon cottage.

This time out though and the oh-so head-girlish Kirstie is getting all competitive and trying to win prizes for some of her creations.

First off, it's baking. Firmly anchored in middle-class, middle England the show whisks us off to the Devon County Show where Kirstie is trying her hand in the afternoon tea and the single cake categories.

And although the setting is genteel – all British summer, green wellies and Aga territory - Kirstie has soon got her gloves off. "We're in it to win it" she declares, and promptly enlists the help of some professionals to give her a hand.

Having chosen scones as one of her cakes, she doesn't just get any old chef to show her how to whip up a batch, but Richard Hunt, who we are told, has tried to bake the world's biggest scone and at his Torquay hotel can knock up 8,000 in one go.

So not surprisingly as she follows his lead, and recipe, she too creates some pretty tasty looking specimens.

Next up is the jam to go with them. Damson is the fruit of choice although after taking two-and-a-half hours to scoop out the 295 stones it's clear Kirstie has got someone else on speed- dial to fetch the kids from school.

Her éclairs take a bit of getting to grips with, but, as her guide on this has worked with Raymond Blanc, you're pretty sure she'll get there in the end.

However, the pressure is mounting for Kirstie as she realises much of what needs to be done for the competition can only be completed right at the last minute.

So much so, that our beautifully spoken host emits an expletive when the marzipan splits as she smooths it onto her Caribbean fruit cake.

And it even looks like she may go into meltdown as she puts the finishing touches to her entries at the show.

But we're in for a happy ending as our gal soon pulls herself together and goes on to take second place for her afternoon tea before going one better and coming first with her cake.

Despite repeatedly letting us know the judging is anonymous, some of the crowd in the marquee look somewhat sceptical at the success of the only person in the competition to have a film crew with them. More eyebrows may well have been raised had the other competitors realised just how high the calibre of Kirstie's help had been.

It may not be completely fair play, but ever the good business woman, Kirstie knows how to get ahead, and we got a slice of wholesome, idealised escapism - as well as another peek inside the property guru's own lovely home.

By Sarah Moran