The Polish dumplings were a nod to Poland and the role it is playing in supporting the refugees who are fleeing from war-torn Ukraine.

The dish was sold at the Slow Food Earth Market Maitland in The Levee on Thursday and caused a stir among shoppers.

"I didn't realise what a strong Polish community we have here," Slow Food Hunter Valley honorary secretary Helen Hughes said.

"We wrote the Polish word next to the English word on the sign and a lot of people commented on that and knew the Polish word."

Ms Hughes and fellow slow food volunteer Marcus Bridges sold 46 cups of the soup and made $230 for the cause.

"It was very simple peasant food and people were very happy to hand over the money and extremely happy with how good it tasted," Ms Hughes said.

Slow Food Earth Market Maitland chairwoman Amorelle Dempster made the dish with some of the sauerkraut that was fermented at the last market.

"Because it is in a clear vegetable broth you feel like you're having a bit of a health tonic - just think of all of those probiotics in a winter-warmer drink," Ms Dempster said.

"It's sour and salty and in a broth it was lovely. Putting it in a dumpling gives people an idea about another thing they can do with a jar of sauerkraut."

Ms Hughes said it was easy to become complacent about the war because we lived so far away from it.

She said fundraisers like this helped to raise awareness about the plight of the Ukranian people.

"It is really horrifying when you see the footage of the war on TV," she said.

"These people are going to need help for a long time.

"Being involved makes you feel really good, and it shows that even a tiny little bit of effort on our part does make a difference."

In the news:

Do you know you can subscribe to get full access to all Maitland Mercury stories? Subscribing supports us in our local news coverage. To subscribe, click here.