Hairy Bikers in Merseyside: Six places recommended in Liverpool and Wirral by TV foodies

Beloved foodie duo the Hairy Bikers returned to our screens this year with their new seven-part series Go West, which traverses the UK’s westerly edge seeking out hidden gems and local favourites.

Starting in Scotland and ending in Devon, episode four takes in the splendour of Merseyside and explores Liverpool’s deep links with Chinese food, including the ubiquitous salt and pepper chips. The intrepid duo head over to Wirral for some seafood and even dare to cross over the border and into Warrington for some sausages with a difference.

Bikers Si King and Dave Myers picked out six special destinations for the Merseyside episode, which aired on Tuesday night and is available on BBC iPlayer, and had great things to say about them all.

We have listed all the locations below, including one that blew Si's mind, but they are all well worth a visit.

Snoutwood Trotters, Laburnum Farm, Great Sankey

🐖 The Hairy Bikers’ first stop is actually a stone's throw outside Merseyside on the border with Warrington. Snoutwood Trotters is a farm specialising in free-range, rare-breed Gloucestershire Old Spot Pigs and the Bikers were particularly taken by the farm’s sausage vending machine, which allows people to buy their pork products even when the farm shop is closed. Owners Liam and Rebecca took the leap into farming after Liam asked for two pigs for his 21st birthday. They now produce quality rare-breed meat.

💬 Dave said: ”It’s a premium product and it cost them a lot to rise pork like this. But I do believe, if you can afford it, eat this kind of meat.”

💬 Si said: “It’s about giving their livestock and their pigs the best possible life. As they say, eat less meat, but eat better quality.”

Sans Cafe, Lightbody Street, Liverpool

🥟 If you’ve ever driven down the dock road (Great Howard Street) into town you will certainly have passed Sans Cafe and the Hairy Bikers couldn't resist popping in. The family-run Chinese restaurant opened in the 1960s and is now into its third generation. Si and Dave joined matriarch Lin in the kitchen and then tucked into the cafe’s special chow mein dish and their best selling pork dumplings.

💬 Dave said: ”The food is so moreish, it's so addictive. Those pork dumplings are so tasty and have really got our imagination fired up for a cook.”

💬 Si said: “It’s one of those places that is the lifeblood of the city. It’s part of the cultural beating heart and has been here for flaming ages.”

Chris's Chippy, Rose Lane, Liverpool

🌶️Liverpool is home to one of the oldest Chinese communities in Europe and the majority of our chippies offer eastern and western cuisine. Salt and pepper chips is an iconic Liverpool dish and a product of that fusion. Si and Dave headed to Chris's Chippy on Rose Lane - one of the first in the city to add Chinese dishes to the menu - to try it for themselves. Invented in the 1960s, chips are stir-fried with onions, peppers, chilli, black pepper, five spice and garlic.

💬 Dave said: “This city just keeps throwing up fantastic communities, keeping it in the family. ”

💬 Si said: “It’s a one of a kind dish. Oh, they’re great. They're really tasty.”

Seafood Shack, West Kirby, Wirral

🦪 The bikers headed over the water to Wirral to taste the offerings of a popular seaside town. Visiting West Kirby, the duo discovered the Seafood Shack -a fishmongers and deli yards from the coast - and are impressed by the freshly caught king scallops. Shop owner Guy cooks them fresh on the counter for Dave and Si, with his own special, salted butter with chilli.

💬 Dave said: “Beautiful. So Sweet. They are cooked absolutely perfectly. There’s nothing better than a freshly caught scallop.”

💬 Si said: “It’s not just a fish lover's dream, it’s my idea of absolute perfection. Just look at all that lovely fish.”

The Wild Loaf, Sefton Street, Liverpool

🍞 Dave and Si headed back to Liverpool to check out The Wild Loaf bakery in L8, known for its incredible sourdough, sandwiches and sweet treats. The artisan shop on Sefton Street opened back in 2022, however, the independent bakery has been running since 2017, when art graduate Jess turned her creative mind to the world of bread and pastries. The Hairy Bikers joined her and fellow creative-turned-baker Emily in making a sourdough fruit loaf, which they covered with butter and ate on the steps of the shop.

💬 Dave said: “This is fruit loaf on a new level. I never thought I would get so  much pleasure being in a car park in Liverpool.”

💬 Si said: “This is what happens when art and dough collide”

Farm Urban, Greens For Good, Baltic Triangle

🌱 The Hairy Bikers concluded their trip to the region with a visit to an urban farm with a difference, in the Baltic Triangle. Greens For Good uses vertical farming, hydroponics, aeroponics and LED lighting to grow fresh greens inside a building in the centre of Liverpool. Jens and Paul have been running the sustainable farm for the last four years. They send weekly lettuce boxes to homes, cultivate experimental greens like wasabi rocket and are working with Alder Hey Children’s Hospital to provide ultra nutritious greens that can be prescribed.

💬 Si said: “I can’t think of anywhere I have been that has given me more hope for the future than that place. Completely blew my mind.”

💬 Dave said: “I’ve seen the future and I like it. It’s like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory with lettuce.”