Jarek Mydlak outside his Polish deli in Newtown, Powys

Dagmara and Michal Rafalowicz and Jarek Mydlak are selling a taste from home to workers missing their favourite food in Newtown, Powys, and Aberystwyth.

They were inspired by fellow Poles in the area who they said not only missed their country, but also their cuisine.

But fulfilling the dream means the trio sometimes have to work 20 hours a day.

They moved to Powys in 2005, a year after Poland joined the European Union.

Last January their first shop in Newtown opened and a second in Aberystwyth was unveiled in September.

I would say 98% of Welsh and English people are very positive and with time accepted the shop as part of the market landscape Jarek Mydlak

With three full-time staff, they sell Polish bread, sausages, drinks and sweets and are thinking of expanding their range to include frozen food and fresh cakes.

Mr Mydlak. who is from Warsaw, said the three had experience of running businesses separately in Poland before moving to Wales.

"We trusted one another, spotted a niche in the market, and put a lot of effort to make it work - sometimes it was 20 hours a day," he added.

"We strongly believed it would work. Polish people miss their country and our cuisine as well so the shop received a very warm welcome by Poles.

"I would say 98% of Welsh and English people are very positive and with time accepted the shop as part of the market landscape."

Mr Mydlak said all the stock for their shops came from Poland.

"We are happy with the progress of our shops," he added.

"We are thinking about opening the third shop in a couple of months."

The arrival of so many Poles in the UK has led to other initiatives such as Wales' first Polish support centre, which opened in Llanelli last year.

In north Wales, an estimated 10,000 Poles live in Wrexham alone, which has prompted the region's police force to consider recruiting Polish-speaking officers.