The bakery’s owner ‘can’t wait’ to open in Merseyside
Bread from Usher’s Bakehouse, which will open in Liverpool soon(Image: Elite Bistros)
The opening date of a new Liverpool bakery has been announced. Usher’s Bakehouse will take the place of the Baltic Bakehouse on Bridgewater Street in the Baltic Triangle.
Opened in 2013, the Baltic Bakehouse offered a number of “signature” loaves, including the “Baltic Wild” sourdough loaf, as well as a range of breakfast pastries, buns and bloomers baked wholesale to sell to hospitality industry clients across the city region. Its owners boasted that it was “one of the first new businesses that helped kickstart the area’s reputation”.
But the business closed unexpectedly earlier this year, with its sites in the Baltic and Allerton Road in south Liverpool shutting down. The ECHO revealed in April that the sites had closed voluntarily following an inspection by Liverpool City Council.
Its replacement will be run by Chester-based restaurateur and chef Gary Usher, whose Elite Bistros firm runs Wreck restaurant on Seel Street.
It will open its doors on Wednesday, August 20. Elite Bistros say it will be “bringing the city the same irresistible baked goods that have taken Chester by storm”.
Gary comes from a long history of bakers. His grandad, Gordon Usher, opened the original Usher’s Bakehouse in St Albans, back in 1968.
Gary’s dad then took the reins and left school to take over the bakery, expanding to three sites, before the family sold the business when Gordon’s health declined.
Last year, Gary sought to revive the family name and opened Usher’s Bakehouse in Hoole, Chester. On its opening day in August 2024, the bakery reported there had been queues early in the morning to get in with its bread and cookies “selling out fast”.
Elite Bistros say that Usher’s Bakehouse has built a loyal following of customers for its signature breads such as focaccia, sourdough and rye.
The bakery will be located on Bridgewater Street in the Baltic Triangle(Image: Elite Bistros)
In Liverpool, these well-loved breads will be accompanied on a counter that will be constantly changing with an array of indulgent treats, including doughnuts, pies, brownies, cookies and tarts. Some of the bakes take direct inspiration from the Elite Bistro restaurants.
Usher’s Bakehouse Liverpool will be run by Nathan Brockbank, who has Michelin star pastry credentials and eight years of experience as an executive pastry chef for Manchester City Football Club. Nathan previously worked alongside Gary in the Chester Grosvenor.
Usher’s Bakehouse will open Wednesday to Sunday, from 8am to 3pm on weekdays and 8am to 1pm on weekends.
Gary believes opening the Bakehouse in Liverpool will prove a central role in starting this exciting new chapter. He said: “We’re super excited to be expanding the bakery. We’ve built something really special in Chester and we can’t wait to bring it to more people.”
The venue will have free crème brûlée doughnuts for the first 25 customers each day for the first opening week. In the run up to the opening, there will also be a social media “treasure hunt” game to win a free loaf of sourdough bread.