PROPERTY expert Kirstie Allsopp is worth her weight in gold – or so those struggling to get on the housing ladder will attest. Her professional, no-nonsense, straight-talking manner has turned many wannabe homeowners’ luck around.

Of course, she’s probably feeling a slight draught somewhere around her right hip, given that this latest series sees her once again working solo without co-presenter and right-hand man, Phil Spencer (mind you, he’s probably off sunning himself in Australia anyway).

Now she’s offering her expertise to people who are looking for the perfect home that will provide them with a slice of classic country living as well as being a stone’s throw from the city. The best of both – it can be done, she insists.

With house prices dropping for every minute farther out of the city you are prepared to settle – and a massive £1,300 for every minute’s commute out of the capital – it’s little surprise that people are looking to snag a country pile which is within a short commute to city life. And Allsopp’s going to show house buyers how easy it is to do just that.

The programme has been commissioned by Gill Wilson, C4’s head of features, who says: “We are delighted that Kirstie will be sharing more of her encyclopaedic house buying knowledge and intuition with us all.”

Meanwhile creative director Sarah Walmsley explains: “Most of us need access to towns and cities for work, but hanker after the idyll of country living.

This show will demonstrate that we can have our cake and eat it; it will be packed with beautiful properties that suit very different purposes.”

These days, Allsopp isn’t just a property expert, she’s also a lifestyle guru. She started the trend by showing us how to whip up our own cushions and beat our own copper in Kirstie’s Homemade Home, which was followed soon after by Kirstie’s Handmade Britain.

This time around, she’s determined to prove that there can be a middle ground when it comes to choosing between living in the countryside or the city. She will be showcasing three properties that meet the buyer’s needs, but with each one pushing them further and further, while the fourth property will be completely out of their comfort zone and into the heart of rural Britain.

In the first instalment, she’s in Belfast where she meets newlyweds Grace and Lindsay. They’ve done city living down in London and after tiring of the rat race, the couple decided to move back to their native Northern Ireland to buy their first home. But Lindsay wants to settle somewhere rural, while Grace wants more of a city vibe.