TV GURU Alison Cork is the bargain hunters’ dream. asked the expert shopper about where to go to save pounds and pounds.

Everyone loves a bargain and anyone wanting to buy items for the home and garden at knockdown prices has a good friend in Alison Cork.

Alison has made it her business to sniff out those items that will not only save pennies but also pounds and pounds. Like a heat-seeking missile, she homes in on the cut price and the sale must-have - and then she shares the remarkable results of her mission possible.

Alison publicises the results of her bargain hunt on her own website and this year there is also the chance to meet her at next month’s Autumn Ideal Home Exhibition.

She explains: "I am fronting the Luxury for Less Theatre where people can ask me questions."

At the show, Alison has created five Luxury Living for Less roomsets including a luxurious bedroom, a contemporary kitchen and the ultimate wet room. Visitors can pick up a free interior advice booklet from the Homes and Bargains team.

The most unusual request Alison has received was "from a lady who wanted a discount tombstone".

Alison, as ever, was unfazed and directed her to the Welsh Craft Council website.

Alison adds: "Don’t ignore the High Street. They are far more competitive now because of the internet. B&Q, Woolworth and Argos have incredibly good looking stuff.

"But for real bargains - go off piste. Do your research on the internet and be prepared to travel a bit.

"When you’re looking for luxury for less you really have to look off the High Street, often to an industrial estate or the middle of the country where the overheads are less. For example, I recently sourced a 6ft mahogany sleigh bed for £395. You’d be hard pressed to find it for £1,000 elsewhere."

The internet has been a catalyst for change, as Alison explained: "Wherever you live you have access to internet bargains. It’s forced everyone to be very price conscious."

Alison’s personal best bargain was her kitchen from a company in Canning Town, London, called Paragon Furniture, making bespoke kitchens, "a very good example of a factory on wasteland".

She says: "They made for me, for a bit under £10,000, a unique Art Nouveau style kitchen in sycamore which would have cost about £30,000 elsewhere."

Alison, married with two young sons, decided she wanted to combine her hobbies of cookery, decorating and gardening after graduating from Cambridge University. As a result she Launched Alison At Home. Books followed and then TV appearances, which led to her own TV series, website and At Home videos and merchandise plus work as a newspaper columnist.

A warning. Alison says: "A bargain is only a bargain if it’s what you really want, if it’s beautiful and well made."

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The Autumn Ideal Home Show is at Earls Court from October 6 to 15.

As well as the chance to speak to Alison Cork, specialist advice will be available from ITV1’s Saturday Cooks’ chef Gino D’Acampo and wine expert to the stars and Jamie Oliver’s sommelier, Matt Skinner.

Visit the Energy Saving Trust stand to save energy, money and the environment. Pick up property advice from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. After shopping, take time out in the Beauty Retreat and pamper yourself with a complimentary massage or manicure.

Ticket information:

To save £2 on advance adult tickets call the hotline on 0870 606 6080 or visit www.autumnidealhomeshow.co.uk.

On the door: weekday adults £10, OAPs £8; weekends adults £12, OAPs £10. Accompanied children under 16 free. Opening: Friday, October 6 noon to 6pm; weekdays 10am to 7pm (except Wednesdays and Thursdays 10am to 10pm; weekends 10am to 8pm.