Celebrity MasterChef winner Lisa Faulkner has brought her culinary skills to her new series, Holiday Home Sweet Home, in which she showcases the diverse range of properties the UK has to offer to people who wish to holiday in Britain – and gets a bit of cooking in at the same time

What did you enjoy about making Holiday Home Sweet Home?
It’s a lovely series, and it was incredible to see all these places. I met a lot of holiday home companies and quite a few interesting characters along the way. It was great to meet these people and see some beautiful places around the country. We filmed a lot in the South West, Wales, Cornwall, Devon, Wiltshire, the New Forest, Bath and Bristol. The good thing about our show is that it’s about finding holiday homes that you can rent, rather than about buying property and renting it out. We’re showing places like castles and forts that you can actually go and stay in.

A fort?
Yes, we went to an amazing fort in the middle of the River Solent in Portsmouth. It was just incredible. You can only get to it by boat.

How was the weather during filming?
Well, it was the Great British Summer! Some days were beautiful, while other days it was pouring with rain. I remember Wales being very wet, but it was all good fun and that’s the whole point about Britain. We can’t rely on the weather, but we’ll always find things to do.

A lot of people seem to be investing in holiday homes here, rather than places like Spain…
I think you’re absolutely right. People seem to be looking closer to home now. And, as I’ve said, sometimes we’re lucky with the weather and sometimes we’re not.

If you had your own holiday home here, would you rent it out?
I don’t know because I’d want a holiday home that I could go to all the time. But then it’s ridiculous because you’ll never get there every weekend. I know people that end up renting theirs out for that very reason.

If you bought one, where would it be?
I’ve fallen in love with Cornwall. I think it’s the only place that I could live in in England, apart from London. The beaches are beautiful and there’s so much to do. If you like beaches, walking and amazing food, it’s fantastic. There are some great restaurants there and it’s an amazing area. There’s just something about it. I’ve had quite a few holidays there anyway, so it’s somewhere that’s very close to my heart.

Aside from Holiday Home Sweet Home, you’ve also really thrown yourself into cooking, and written a cookery book…
I’ve actually just written my second cookery book and shot pictures for it. I’m even making some piccalilli as we speak! I absolutely love cooking and doing food shows. I adore it – it makes me really happy.

Your first book was called Recipes From My Mother For My Daughter. What’s the theme of the second book?
It’s not out until next year, but it’s going to be about the way I cook. So each chapter will look at different occasions, like on a Sunday morning when the house is full of kids, we’ll always make something special. Another chapter will focus on days when I haven’t got much time.

Is there a chance that cooking could overshadow the acting/presenting side of your career?
I love acting and always want to continue. But the business is up and down and sometimes you’re a favourite and sometimes you’re not. I’m just very lucky that the cooking side of things has meant I don’t have to sit and wait for the phone to ring, because I’ve got something going on that I love just as much. It’s not that I’ve got lots of offers and am turning them down in favour of cooking, but I’m enjoying cooking so much at the moment.

ITV1, Saturday

Elaine Penn