Loafi

Loafi is proof that some of the best ideas are also the simplest. Chef-turned-baker Rich Sharples spent more than a decade running kitchens for Gary Usher’s acclaimed Elite Bistros before deciding to take the plunge on his own project. After years of fine dining, he turned his attention back to the kind of food he grew up with – the everyday staples and old-school treats that once defined the British high street bakery, before supermarkets streamlined the magic out of them.

Set in the former Levanter site in Ramsbottom, Loafi opened with little fanfare but was embraced almost instantly. Rich thought he’d be baking a handful of loaves a day; instead, demand quickly soared to more than 80. That momentum has carried into everything else on the counter – from sausage rolls and treacle sponge to Eccles cakes and quiches, each one handmade and rooted in tradition but delivered with care and consistency.

Bread is the backbone here, whether it’s treacle rye, stout sourdough or the oven-bottom muffins that underpin Loafi’s sandwiches. Those oven bottoms are a particular labour of love, a Lancashire staple that had fallen out of favour, now given new life as a lunchtime essential. Expect fillings like ham and piccalilli, Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese with chutney, or simple bacon, lettuce and tomato – the kind of combinations that don’t need embellishment.

Inside, space is limited – a few seats, a counter stacked high, and the hum of the ovens – but that only adds to the community feel. Rich and his small team are constantly busy, but always welcoming, reflecting the supportive independent spirit of Ramsbottom itself. Loafi isn’t trying to reinvent baking; it’s about doing the classics properly, with patience, generosity and heart.