Kirstie's Handmade Britain

4 November 2011

Programme 1 – Baking, Wednesday 19th October, 8pm, Channel 4

In this first programme Kirstie heads to the Devon County Show where she will be entering some of her finest baked goods in the Afternoon Tea cake competition. As amateur bakers up and down the country compete to see who has the best cakes, baking competitions are often the fiercest fought of all. Kirstie needs to perfect her scones and homemade jam, and her chosen afternoon tea patisserie - kumquat éclairs.

Scones are local and traditional to Devon, so Kirstie has to get them right. She enlists expert scone maker Richard Hunt to help her perfect a crumble-free scone. As chef at the Grand Torquay Hotel, Richard is a true expert as he and his team can produce up to 8,000 scones a day.

He lets Kirstie into his secret recipe, but she will need to practice more and eat less dough to be a Devon winner. And of course she must abide by the Devon scone etiquette of cream before jam! So next Kirstie needs damson jam to go with her scones, and that means de-stoning no less than 295 plums...

To up the ante further Kirstie is going to attempt making éclairs as her second afternoon tea cake, with the expert tuition of Loretta Lui who has worked under Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsay. Kirstie aims to create the perfect choux pastry for kumquat and Chantilly cream éclairs. But, it proves to be harder than she thought, and with the first patch looking less than appetising it's back to the beginning.

Throughout the programme as Kirstie is mastering her entries, her rivals are also perfecting their cakes big and small. 26-year-old Hannah was taught by her Mum to master the cupcake and has perfected her skills on a sugar craft course. She strives for perfection and hopes her cupcakes and famous chocolate brownies will take first prize.

Biker and amateur baker Danny can be found spatula in hand mixing up a sweet treat at least three or four times a week. He wants to try something unusual in the large cake competition and has spent hours, days even practicing a rich beetroot chocolate cake he hopes will impress the judges.

And full time mum Jenny has honed her baking skills for her three children. A true perfectionist, she's creating mini banoffee tartlets, and strawberries and cream cupcakes. That's if she can stop fiddling with them long enough to deem them perfect...

Never one to do things half-heartedly, as the day of reckoning nears Kirstie decides she's going to enter a second baking competition - the single cake competition. In a summer twist on a trusted Christmas cake recipe, she's creating a Caribbean fruit cake. With half the points awarded for taste alone, it's a big gamble... and when the day of reckoning finally arrives, has Kirstie bitten off more than she can chew?

 

Programme 2, Papercraft, Wednesday 26th October, 8pm, Channel 4

In this second programme Kirstie tackles the art of paper crafts, endeavouring to create amazing pieces hard to believe are just made from paper, to compete at The Royal Welsh Show.

Established in 1904 and with over 200,000 visitors a year, the Royal Welsh Show is one of the most prestigious shows in the country and competitions encompass everything from best egg to best walking stick.

With 2,000 entries alone in the craft and cookery competition categories, Kirstie is going to face stiff competition.

 

Programme 3, Needlecraft, Wednesday 2nd November, 8pm, Channel 4

In this next programme Kirstie is tackling needlecraft. She will have to master some complex needlework skills as she prepares to enter a cushion of her own design into the needlecraft competition at the Great Yorkshire Show. With over 12,000 competition entrants across the weekend, and a massive 130,000 visitors expected to attend, it's where seriously keen lovers of crafting seek serious prizes.  

Array

Array

Kirstie knows her entry must be top notch to be placed in the category, with experienced judges looking for great design, intricate detail precision techniques to warrant a chance at being crowned Best in Show.

Once she's designed her cushion, Kirstie eagerly turns to her most favourite craft ever - something she's so hooked on she described it as ‘the crack cocaine of the craft world' - freestyle machine embroidery. This time there's an even more impressive twist to the art form; using water soluble backing to create gorgeous embroidered flowers.

But there's still a lot to learn if her cushion design is going to come together. Kirstie turns to needlework wonder woman Jo Colwill to practice her hand embroidering and applique, quilting and bordering, before Kirstie is left to complete her cushion design.

Despite having seven weeks to tinker with her creation, Kirstie finds herself working into the night on the eve of the competition, determined that she has to make sure it's completely perfect.

Once at the Great Yorkshire Show there's no going back, as Kirstie sees what her rivals have entered in her category. As she said so herself, it's all about being placed in a competition like this. Has she done enough to earn herself a coveted rosette?

 

In this second programme, Dr Anita meets a young man whose risky sex life has become a danger to his health. Gareth, aged 21, estimates he has had sex with over 200 people and rarely uses a condom. He is now worried he may have contracted HIV as he has never had an STI check.  He bravely decides to undergo a HIV test with Dr Anita. Will his years of promiscuity have put him at risk?

 

Her first entry will be into the seaside-themed decoupage competition, and skilled decoupage designer Jaina Minton teaches Kirstie how to make a paper sculpture seagull that will stand on his own little handmade beach.

Next its time to create and embroidered greetings card, a category in which Kirstie is up against a Champion of Champions embroiderer Dilys who's been winning competitions like this for almost 20 years, and has made 50 - 60 embroidered cards.

Shunning the more ‘traditional' embroidered designs, Kirstie opts for something she really loves, freeform machine embroidery to design her card with a modern twist. But will something so different to Dilys' impress the judges?   

The final competition entry involves some clever up-cycling - to make something new from something old; and still with the paper craft theme in mind Kirstie is introduced to paper jewellery by Phiona Richards. They're going to recycle damaged books turning their print and pictures into rose rings.

Such a simple bit of quilling produces something remarkably clever, but is it too simple for a show with such high standards as this? And with her rival in this category, master of origami Tony, who's made a replica computer from old Welsh maps, it looks like Kirstie is resigned to walking away defeated...  

 

Queen of the handmade and all things crafty, Kirstie Allsopp returns with a brand new series that will really test her mettle as a craftswoman.

After reigniting the nation's passion for crafts, Kirstie is setting out to see if she can really cut it in the artisan world, travelling the country during the British summer visiting some of the finest County and Agricultural Fairs for Kirstie's Handmade Britain.

At each event she has to submit entries to some of the toughest craft competitions going, and with County Fairs a British institution, the rosettes on offer are seriously coveted. Along the way she meets crafts devotees (men and women), some with decades of experience and umpteen prizes, all looking to be named Best in Show.

Under the tutelage of some familiar faces, and the guidance of some new experts, Kirstie must create a masterpiece of her own fit to be judged up against numerous other competitors. How will she cope with the pressure of competition rules? Can she cut it alongside experienced rival entrants? 

 

 

Programme 1 – Baking, Wednesday 19th October, 8pm, Channel 4

In this first programme Kirstie heads to the Devon County Show where she will be entering some of her finest baked goods in the Afternoon Tea cake competition. As amateur bakers up and down the country compete to see who has the best cakes, baking competitions are often the fiercest fought of all. Kirstie needs to perfect her scones and homemade jam, and her chosen afternoon tea patisserie - kumquat éclairs.

Scones are local and traditional to Devon, so Kirstie has to get them right. She enlists expert scone maker Richard Hunt to help her perfect a crumble-free scone. As chef at the Grand Torquay Hotel, Richard is a true expert as he and his team can produce up to 8,000 scones a day.

He lets Kirstie into his secret recipe, but she will need to practice more and eat less dough to be a Devon winner. And of course she must abide by the Devon scone etiquette of cream before jam! So next Kirstie needs damson jam to go with her scones, and that means de-stoning no less than 295 plums...

To up the ante further Kirstie is going to attempt making éclairs as her second afternoon tea cake, with the expert tuition of Loretta Lui who has worked under Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsay. Kirstie aims to create the perfect choux pastry for kumquat and Chantilly cream éclairs. But, it proves to be harder than she thought, and with the first patch looking less than appetising it's back to the beginning.

Throughout the programme as Kirstie is mastering her entries, her rivals are also perfecting their cakes big and small. 26-year-old Hannah was taught by her Mum to master the cupcake and has perfected her skills on a sugar craft course. She strives for perfection and hopes her cupcakes and famous chocolate brownies will take first prize.

Biker and amateur baker Danny can be found spatula in hand mixing up a sweet treat at least three or four times a week. He wants to try something unusual in the large cake competition and has spent hours, days even practicing a rich beetroot chocolate cake he hopes will impress the judges.

And full time mum Jenny has honed her baking skills for her three children. A true perfectionist, she's creating mini banoffee tartlets, and strawberries and cream cupcakes. That's if she can stop fiddling with them long enough to deem them perfect...

Never one to do things half-heartedly, as the day of reckoning nears Kirstie decides she's going to enter a second baking competition - the single cake competition. In a summer twist on a trusted Christmas cake recipe, she's creating a Caribbean fruit cake. With half the points awarded for taste alone, it's a big gamble... and when the day of reckoning finally arrives, has Kirstie bitten off more than she can chew?

 

Programme 2, Papercraft, Wednesday 26th October, 8pm, Channel 4

In this second programme Kirstie tackles the art of paper crafts, endeavouring to create amazing pieces hard to believe are just made from paper, to compete at The Royal Welsh Show.

Established in 1904 and with over 200,000 visitors a year, the Royal Welsh Show is one of the most prestigious shows in the country and competitions encompass everything from best egg to best walking stick.

With 2,000 entries alone in the craft and cookery competition categories, Kirstie is going to face stiff competition.

 

Programme 3, Needlecraft, Wednesday 2nd November, 8pm, Channel 4

In this next programme Kirstie is tackling needlecraft. She will have to master some complex needlework skills as she prepares to enter a cushion of her own design into the needlecraft competition at the Great Yorkshire Show. With over 12,000 competition entrants across the weekend, and a massive 130,000 visitors expected to attend, it's where seriously keen lovers of crafting seek serious prizes.  

Array

Array

Kirstie knows her entry must be top notch to be placed in the category, with experienced judges looking for great design, intricate detail precision techniques to warrant a chance at being crowned Best in Show.

Once she's designed her cushion, Kirstie eagerly turns to her most favourite craft ever - something she's so hooked on she described it as ‘the crack cocaine of the craft world' - freestyle machine embroidery. This time there's an even more impressive twist to the art form; using water soluble backing to create gorgeous embroidered flowers.

But there's still a lot to learn if her cushion design is going to come together. Kirstie turns to needlework wonder woman Jo Colwill to practice her hand embroidering and applique, quilting and bordering, before Kirstie is left to complete her cushion design.

Despite having seven weeks to tinker with her creation, Kirstie finds herself working into the night on the eve of the competition, determined that she has to make sure it's completely perfect.

Once at the Great Yorkshire Show there's no going back, as Kirstie sees what her rivals have entered in her category. As she said so herself, it's all about being placed in a competition like this. Has she done enough to earn herself a coveted rosette?

 

In this second programme, Dr Anita meets a young man whose risky sex life has become a danger to his health. Gareth, aged 21, estimates he has had sex with over 200 people and rarely uses a condom. He is now worried he may have contracted HIV as he has never had an STI check.  He bravely decides to undergo a HIV test with Dr Anita. Will his years of promiscuity have put him at risk?

 

Her first entry will be into the seaside-themed decoupage competition, and skilled decoupage designer Jaina Minton teaches Kirstie how to make a paper sculpture seagull that will stand on his own little handmade beach.

Next its time to create and embroidered greetings card, a category in which Kirstie is up against a Champion of Champions embroiderer Dilys who's been winning competitions like this for almost 20 years, and has made 50 - 60 embroidered cards.

Shunning the more ‘traditional' embroidered designs, Kirstie opts for something she really loves, freeform machine embroidery to design her card with a modern twist. But will something so different to Dilys' impress the judges?   

The final competition entry involves some clever up-cycling - to make something new from something old; and still with the paper craft theme in mind Kirstie is introduced to paper jewellery by Phiona Richards. They're going to recycle damaged books turning their print and pictures into rose rings.

Such a simple bit of quilling produces something remarkably clever, but is it too simple for a show with such high standards as this? And with her rival in this category, master of origami Tony, who's made a replica computer from old Welsh maps, it looks like Kirstie is resigned to walking away defeated...  

 

Queen of the handmade and all things crafty, Kirstie Allsopp returns with a brand new series that will really test her mettle as a craftswoman.

After reigniting the nation's passion for crafts, Kirstie is setting out to see if she can really cut it in the artisan world, travelling the country during the British summer visiting some of the finest County and Agricultural Fairs for Kirstie's Handmade Britain.

At each event she has to submit entries to some of the toughest craft competitions going, and with County Fairs a British institution, the rosettes on offer are seriously coveted. Along the way she meets crafts devotees (men and women), some with decades of experience and umpteen prizes, all looking to be named Best in Show.

Under the tutelage of some familiar faces, and the guidance of some new experts, Kirstie must create a masterpiece of her own fit to be judged up against numerous other competitors. How will she cope with the pressure of competition rules? Can she cut it alongside experienced rival entrants? 

 

 

Programme 1 – Baking, Wednesday 19th October, 8pm, Channel 4

In this first programme Kirstie heads to the Devon County Show where she will be entering some of her finest baked goods in the Afternoon Tea cake competition. As amateur bakers up and down the country compete to see who has the best cakes, baking competitions are often the fiercest fought of all. Kirstie needs to perfect her scones and homemade jam, and her chosen afternoon tea patisserie - kumquat éclairs.

Scones are local and traditional to Devon, so Kirstie has to get them right. She enlists expert scone maker Richard Hunt to help her perfect a crumble-free scone. As chef at the Grand Torquay Hotel, Richard is a true expert as he and his team can produce up to 8,000 scones a day.

He lets Kirstie into his secret recipe, but she will need to practice more and eat less dough to be a Devon winner. And of course she must abide by the Devon scone etiquette of cream before jam! So next Kirstie needs damson jam to go with her scones, and that means de-stoning no less than 295 plums...

To up the ante further Kirstie is going to attempt making éclairs as her second afternoon tea cake, with the expert tuition of Loretta Lui who has worked under Raymond Blanc and Gordon Ramsay. Kirstie aims to create the perfect choux pastry for kumquat and Chantilly cream éclairs. But, it proves to be harder than she thought, and with the first patch looking less than appetising it's back to the beginning.

Throughout the programme as Kirstie is mastering her entries, her rivals are also perfecting their cakes big and small. 26-year-old Hannah was taught by her Mum to master the cupcake and has perfected her skills on a sugar craft course. She strives for perfection and hopes her cupcakes and famous chocolate brownies will take first prize.

Biker and amateur baker Danny can be found spatula in hand mixing up a sweet treat at least three or four times a week. He wants to try something unusual in the large cake competition and has spent hours, days even practicing a rich beetroot chocolate cake he hopes will impress the judges.

And full time mum Jenny has honed her baking skills for her three children. A true perfectionist, she's creating mini banoffee tartlets, and strawberries and cream cupcakes. That's if she can stop fiddling with them long enough to deem them perfect...

Never one to do things half-heartedly, as the day of reckoning nears Kirstie decides she's going to enter a second baking competition - the single cake competition. In a summer twist on a trusted Christmas cake recipe, she's creating a Caribbean fruit cake. With half the points awarded for taste alone, it's a big gamble... and when the day of reckoning finally arrives, has Kirstie bitten off more than she can chew?

 

Programme 2, Papercraft, Wednesday 26th October, 8pm, Channel 4

In this second programme Kirstie tackles the art of paper crafts, endeavouring to create amazing pieces hard to believe are just made from paper, to compete at The Royal Welsh Show.

Established in 1904 and with over 200,000 visitors a year, the Royal Welsh Show is one of the most prestigious shows in the country and competitions encompass everything from best egg to best walking stick.

With 2,000 entries alone in the craft and cookery competition categories, Kirstie is going to face stiff competition.

 

Programme 3, Needlecraft, Wednesday 2nd November, 8pm, Channel 4

In this next programme Kirstie is tackling needlecraft. She will have to master some complex needlework skills as she prepares to enter a cushion of her own design into the needlecraft competition at the Great Yorkshire Show. With over 12,000 competition entrants across the weekend, and a massive 130,000 visitors expected to attend, it's where seriously keen lovers of crafting seek serious prizes.  

Array

Array

Kirstie knows her entry must be top notch to be placed in the category, with experienced judges looking for great design, intricate detail precision techniques to warrant a chance at being crowned Best in Show.

Once she's designed her cushion, Kirstie eagerly turns to her most favourite craft ever - something she's so hooked on she described it as ‘the crack cocaine of the craft world' - freestyle machine embroidery. This time there's an even more impressive twist to the art form; using water soluble backing to create gorgeous embroidered flowers.

But there's still a lot to learn if her cushion design is going to come together. Kirstie turns to needlework wonder woman Jo Colwill to practice her hand embroidering and applique, quilting and bordering, before Kirstie is left to complete her cushion design.

Despite having seven weeks to tinker with her creation, Kirstie finds herself working into the night on the eve of the competition, determined that she has to make sure it's completely perfect.

Once at the Great Yorkshire Show there's no going back, as Kirstie sees what her rivals have entered in her category. As she said so herself, it's all about being placed in a competition like this. Has she done enough to earn herself a coveted rosette?

 

In this second programme, Dr Anita meets a young man whose risky sex life has become a danger to his health. Gareth, aged 21, estimates he has had sex with over 200 people and rarely uses a condom. He is now worried he may have contracted HIV as he has never had an STI check.  He bravely decides to undergo a HIV test with Dr Anita. Will his years of promiscuity have put him at risk?

 

Her first entry will be into the seaside-themed decoupage competition, and skilled decoupage designer Jaina Minton teaches Kirstie how to make a paper sculpture seagull that will stand on his own little handmade beach.

Next its time to create and embroidered greetings card, a category in which Kirstie is up against a Champion of Champions embroiderer Dilys who's been winning competitions like this for almost 20 years, and has made 50 - 60 embroidered cards.

Shunning the more ‘traditional' embroidered designs, Kirstie opts for something she really loves, freeform machine embroidery to design her card with a modern twist. But will something so different to Dilys' impress the judges?   

The final competition entry involves some clever up-cycling - to make something new from something old; and still with the paper craft theme in mind Kirstie is introduced to paper jewellery by Phiona Richards. They're going to recycle damaged books turning their print and pictures into rose rings.

Such a simple bit of quilling produces something remarkably clever, but is it too simple for a show with such high standards as this? And with her rival in this category, master of origami Tony, who's made a replica computer from old Welsh maps, it looks like Kirstie is resigned to walking away defeated...  

 

Queen of the handmade and all things crafty, Kirstie Allsopp returns with a brand new series that will really test her mettle as a craftswoman.

After reigniting the nation's passion for crafts, Kirstie is setting out to see if she can really cut it in the artisan world, travelling the country during the British summer visiting some of the finest County and Agricultural Fairs for Kirstie's Handmade Britain.

At each event she has to submit entries to some of the toughest craft competitions going, and with County Fairs a British institution, the rosettes on offer are seriously coveted. Along the way she meets crafts devotees (men and women), some with decades of experience and umpteen prizes, all looking to be named Best in Show.

Under the tutelage of some familiar faces, and the guidance of some new experts, Kirstie must create a masterpiece of her own fit to be judged up against numerous other competitors. How will she cope with the pressure of competition rules? Can she cut it alongside experienced rival entrants?