Black Country deli honouring memory of 'amazing ' woman through great food and warm welcome

The memory of a much-loved and much-missed mother and friend is continuing to be honoured by a family-run deli in the heart of a community.

Shelly’s Deli on Griffiths Drive in Ashmore Park has been a popular feature of the area since opening in 2024, offering hot meal sandwiches in rustic cobs, with beef, pork and minted lamb all available.

There’s also a wide selection of cold meat and vegetable sandwiches, plus a range of baked goods and other sweet items.

The deli is owned and run by Sommer Penny and is named after the mother of her boyfriend, Michelle Hall, who passed away suddenly in 2021, aged 45.

Ms Penny said she had always wanted to run her own food business and spoke about her journey and how Shelly’s Deli came into being.

She said: “I had studied business at college as I wanted to run my own food business and I had started at university, something I never thought I would do, when Michelle passed away suddenly.

“At the same time, an opportunity came up to own a cafe in Bilston and I thought ‘life is short, so go for it’ and I did just that, then I started speaking to the owner of the place in Ashmore Park as she was looking to sell up.

“She asked if I’d be willing to take it up and I said yes and have been here since 2024 and the name for this place and what we had in Bilston, which was called Shelly’s Bistro, is connected to me, my boyfriend and his brother and sister and means a lot to us.”

Ms Penny said Michelle Hall was an amazing person and someone who always provided a warm welcome and a great meal to anyone who came into her house and said the philosophy of the deli was based on the food she provided.

She said: “The deli had its own customer base and its own menu, so when I took over and bought it, I kept the original stuff because that’s a legacy of Ashmore Park, but I’ve brought in the bistro side and that’s worked really well.

“That includes the hot meats, the cakes, the buffet service and other little things and it feels like the sort of New Years party that Michelle would do as she would have 200 people in and loved nothing more that people and food and making everyone happy.

“The response since we’ve been here has been immense and I think I was very lucky in the sense that I’d already built an amazing customer base in Bilston and this place has been here for 40 years, so I’ve kept to what they like and they love it as a result.”

Ms Penny said she was delighted that Shelly’s Deli was a place loved by the community and said she was proud of being able to honour the memory of someone she loved and missed.

She said: “She was honestly one of the most amazing people and I love to keep the family involved, such as bringing in her kids to do part-time work.

“We’re still one of the few places that still offers local food as we use local suppliers to use local businesses and we are happy to welcome people in with good food and good vibes.”