Carlos and Sharon Goldman are now seeking a much wider audience for their breads and pastries as they move their business, Rough Hand Made, to its new home. Tony McDonough reports

For four years Carlos and Sharon Goldman have been providing delicious hand-crafted pastries, pittas, breads and sandwiches from their family bakery in Liverpool’s world-famous Penny Lane.

However, the couple are now seeking a much wider audience for their products as they relocate the business, Rough Hand Made, to its new home at the city’s Royal Albert Dock.

The new outlet at the Britannia Pavilion will also have space for customers to sit and have lunch or coffee.

It’s a different atmosphere but the ethos behind Carlos and Sharon’s business is just the same as it’s always been. Sharon explained: “It’s a bakery, but it’s really an experience. Our customers don’t just come in to buy a loaf of bread – it’s somewhere where all of your senses wake up. It’s something special and different.” 

The pair run Rough Hand Made with son Evy, and everything about it reflects their love for what they do. Originally from Buenos Aires in Argentina, Carlos’s South American heritage provides the soundtrack to their daily routine. 

“When you come inside our bakery you can smell the smells coming out of the ovens and hear the music – and you see everything being prepared in front of you in our open-plan kitchen and produced from scratch,” he said.

Self-taught baker Carlos has come up with flavours and recipe combinations which have become Rough Hand Made’s sought-after signature bakes and they’ve gained the business a huge devoted following across the city.

Sweet and savoury pastries fly out as soon as they leave the oven, and customers pre-order the “fluffy cloud” pitta breads so they don’t miss out. There’s no uniform shapes and sizes, though, or even the same varieties each week. That’s not the Rough Hand Made way.

“They may not look perfect and can be smooth, rough, slightly lopsided, not exactly the same size but each one has its own individuality, hence our name,” says Evy. “And, although there are some real favourites like our walnut bread and our Belgian chocolate pastries, you won’t always find the same as last week – once it’s sold out, it’s sold out and we bring something new in.”