Liverpool bakery shares loaf making tips on TV with The Hairy Bikers

Si King and Dave Myers rocked up on their bikes to the bakery near Brunswick station in October last year and spent a morning being given tips on creating their sourdough fruit loaf.

Liverpool independent bakery The Wild Loaf is going to be showing The Hairy Bikers how to make one of its best-sellers.

Jess Doyle and Emily Sandeman gave a mini tutorial to Si and Dave which will be screened on BBC2 tonight, February 27, as part of The Hairy Bikers Go West.

Emily says it was a pleasure to welcome the pair and share some of the ingredients and techniques which have made The Wild Loaf so popular.

“We didn’t know what to expect but they were the loveliest, kindest, humblest men; just very open and friendly and they put us as ease as soon as they came in,” says Emily.

“We were actually open in the morning so all the customers who were here saw them and there was a great energy in the space. It was a fantastic day for everyone and we’ve heard about some of the other businesses who are going to be featured so we’re excited to see them as well.

“Si and Dave were really interested in everything to do with food, and at the end of the day they and the production crew pretty much cleared our whole counter!”

The team behind The Hairy Bikers Go West first got in touch with Jess and Emily last September to ask if they’d be interested in taking part in a local episode of the series.

“They’d found us online and really liked the look of what we do, so we had a chat and it got booked in for October.

“We were told they were going to be doing a Merseyside tour and they’d love to stop by, then as it got closer to the date, we were asked if we would do a little tutorial with them.

“They were interested in fruit loaves and we already do a really popular one so we chose to showcase that.

“We pre-soak all the fruit overnight so it’s really plump and juicy, and we use a mix of flours, a Yorkshire white creamy flour, a rye, a wholemeal and spelt flour which gives it a lot more flavour.”

The Wild Loaf works with UK grain networks – people involved in growing, milling and baking the grains grown in the UK – using flour from Yorkshire, Wales, Shropshire and as close as possible to the North West.

The bakery moved to its current location on Sefton Street, five minutes’ walk from Brunswick train station, after lockdown and opened there in 2022.

There’s now a team of five, including Jess’s mum Libby, who create freshly-baked loaves, pastries, sandwiches and speciality coffee every Wednesday to Saturday.

Usually, the fruit loaf as made by Si and Dave is only available on Saturdays but the good news for anyone who watches the show and fancies trying it is it will be on the counter every day the bakery opens for the next two weeks, from 8.30am to 3pm Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and from 10am to 3pm on Saturdays.