AFTER three years spent road-testing their idea for a Polish food business, one couple have taken the plunge and set up shop in Hexham.

Lukasz Szulczynski and his wife, Izabela, are preparing to open the Polish BBQ House on Priestpopple, in the premises that once housed Diwan-I-Am.

“We took over the building at the end of April and we were hoping to be open in three months,” said Lucasz.

“But there was so much work to do inside that we literally had to strip the place down to the bare brick and start again.”

The couple now expect to be ready to serve up their own home-made beef and chicken burgers, spare ribs and smoked sausages by late October.

The food will taste entirely different to anything customers have tried before – unless they have already eaten at the Polish BBQ food van the couple have criss-crossed the North in during the past three years.

They have been a regular at Hexham Christmas market and the Eating Festival, among many other events.

Lucasz, a qualified chef, previously looked after the catering side of things at the Dukeshouse Wood activity centre on the outskirts of Hexham for 11 years, before deciding to go it alone in business.

“I have been looking to run my own restaurant, but we started with mobile catering first.

“Originally, we weren’t sure how much the UK would take to Polish food,” he said.

“But we soon found our food was selling very well. People here love barbecued food as much as they do in Poland!”

As the parents of two young girls themselves, one thing the couple were keen to do was cater for children as well.

As such, they have reduced the original seating capacity from 85 to 70 to make room for a family area where young customers can be kept entertained.

It boasts kiddy-sized tables and chairs, CD players, games and colouring books.

The mini-customers will also be able to design their own pizzas

“And then they will see them cooked in the open-plan kitchen area that will give everyone a peak behind the scenes.

Lucasz will have eight members of staff opening the Polish BBQ House seven days a week, from noon till 11pm.

Izabela, who is a pastry cook in her own right, will also be making Polish cakes for the eatery, which will aim to have the dual identity of restaurant and coffee shop.