Inside Ipswich’s Polish Deli: A Conversation with Justine
We popped along Upper Brook Street to Salami Delight – Ipswich’s much-loved Polish deli that’s been serving the town for over a decade. Known for its fresh bread, cold-smoked meats, imported delicacies and legendary lunchtime hot dogs, the shop has quietly become a staple for many locals over the years.
We had a quick chat with Justine to learn more about the people behind the counter who’ve helped turn this small deli into one of Ipswich’s most comforting little gems.
Justine: The shop’s been here 11 years now. So yeah… a long time.
Justine: We opened the shop together with my friend originally, who is the mother of my collegue too, so it’s not just me -it’s something we built together.
Justine: We’ve seen Ipswich town centre change a lot over the years. It’s not the same place it used to be ten years ago.
But we still have so many regular customers, which is lovely.
Justine: I think the town centre looked very different. There were many more customers. Now, so many shops have closed.
There aren’t as many reasons for people to visit the town centre anymore, and I think that’s one of the biggest problems in Ipswich now.
Justine: We live in Felixstowe, actually.
But Ipswich had a much bigger Polish community, so that’s why we decided to open the shop here.
Justine: We’re all from different places originally. I’m from near Warsaw – so, the middle of Poland.
Justine: I’ve actually been in the UK for twenty years now.
Justine: Oh yes – definitely not just Polish people. Of course, we still have Polish customers, but also English customers, Lithuanian, Romanian, Hungarian… lots of different nationalities now.
Justine: Yeah! We hope we’ll be here for much longer.
We certainly hope so too.
Because places like Salami Delight are a part of the living texture of a town. The kind of independent places that make this town great and ought to be kept alive.
Support by taking a trip down there!
Support the local independent businesses that keep the heart of our town alive.