A taste of Poland on Doncaster Road
THE growing Polish population in Wakefield feels right at home every time they call into their local deli for an authentic taste of eastern Europe.
Karl Brown, 33, who has run Deli Polska in Wakefield since last August, was last week given permission to sell eastern European lagers from his Doncaster Road shop after licensing chiefs granted his application to add the sale of alcohol to his flourishing business.
He opened his shop in response to calls from the rising numbers of Polish workers settling in the city, and after his Polish girlfriend Monika Mazurkiewicz, 23, introduced him to the community.
Mr Brown said: “I used to run my own warehouse for a leading supermarket chain.
“I had 40 staff of which 30 were Polish and they always said they missed the authentic tastes from their homeland.
“I later worked for construction firm Padgets who have a 100 percent Polish workforce and my knowledge of the people and their language grew.
“Both my partner and I knew a lot of the community and a major problem they had was that they sometimes felt out of their depth, ill-informed and alone when it came to asking for foods they were used to.”
He said they had problems finding Polish foods including smoked hams and sausages, pickles and vegetables preserved in brine, pates, Polish cheeses, bigos (cabbage stew), kapusta (shredded cabbage) and much more.
His customers now include members of the Lithuanian, Czech, German and Hungarian communities who have settled in Wakefield and who previously had problems seeking out the groceries which remind them of their home countries.
Mr Brown’s weekly trips to his suppliers in London, Manchester and South Kirkby always unearth new foodstuffs and he is always looking for new goods to stock his shelves.
He even makes regular trips to his partner’s home of Wroclaw in central Poland.
He added: “My idea is to create a shop which eastern Europeans recognise as having the old-style tradition and homeliness they are used to and I like to think I’ve achieved that.
“Many say it’s like stepping off an English street into their home town.
“I want to create so much more than a shop. This also acts as a meeting place for people and we always try to help with advice and help for new visitors.
“It’s great to be part of Wakefield’s growing multi-cultural society.”
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Saturday 04 February 2012
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