Kirstie gets crafty again this Christmas

Like several of Channel 4’s property experts, Kirstie Allsopp couldn’t possibly have predicted how her career would pan out.

For instance, George Clarke was a builder and architect before TV came calling and turned him into a heart-throb for renovation-lovers everywhere, while Kevin McCloud was a designer until Grand Designs made him the nation’s go-to guru for ambitious self-builders; he’s also branched out into other sorts of shows too.

Sarah Beeny, meanwhile, has gone from renovating properties to running an online estate agency and dating service; at the moment she can be seen on Wednesday evenings taking charge of her family’s move to rural Somerset.

Allsopp, meanwhile, started out working for such publications as Country Living and Food & Homes Magazine before setting up her own home-finding company in 1996, which concentrated on high-end properties in central and west London. Then, in 2000, she was thrust upon an unsuspecting world when she teamed up with Phil Spencer to host Location, Location, Location. Several spin-offs followed before she turned her hobby into a successful series.

Allsopp has always been fond of crafts, so she grabbed the opportunity to host Kirstie’s Handmade Home with both hands.

“I think it’s always interested me, but I never thought I was capable of doing it,” she says of the crafting world. “So I would buy it. I’d see something that was made with love and care, and I would purchase it. I was a very early advocate of the immaculate Christmas, making a big effort with that kind of stuff. But it was a surprising discovery for me that I was capable of making things myself.”

Now she can’t seem to stop. She’s even set up an annual event, The Handmade Fair, which is held at Hampton Court and offers visitors an opportunity to learn how to make products as well as buy them from the expert. She’s also a major advocate of ‘upcycling’ – an activity which involves turning unwanted pieces of furniture into desirable artefacts capable of brightening up any home.

So, what crafting activities does she do away from the cameras?

“Anything with a sewing machine I really like,” she grins. “Anything where you have to count and concentrate, like knitting, is another matter. I really admire people who do that, I really struggle with them.”

During the first lockdown, Allsopp fronted one of the first socially distanced shows, Keep Crafting and Carry On, which was filmed at her own home. Now she’s back with a new festive series; in previous years she’s hosted Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas, which featured competitions and demonstrations, all held in a grand house.

This year, things have had to be a little bit different, but she still hopes to inspire the nation to get making. Among the highlights to look out for are tips from her florist sister Sofie and recipes from former Bake Off champ Nancy Birtwhistle. But it’s her TV ‘husband’ Spencer who gets the ball rolling with some Christmas cocktails – and if they taste as good as they look, we’re all in for a very merry festive season indeed.

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