Where to Buy Zimbabwean and African Groceries in the UK

For Zimbabweans living in the UK, finding familiar foods is one of the most practical challenges of diaspora life. Sadza, matemba (dried kapenta), road runner chicken, covo, rape, sugar beans, maputi, and mahewu are not stocked in mainstream supermarkets — but they are available if you know where to look. **African and Zimbabwean Grocery Shops** The UK has a well-established network of African and Caribbean food shops, concentrated in cities with large African populations. London has the highest density, but stores exist in Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Leicester, Nottingham, Sheffield, Cardiff, and Bristol. In London, areas to explore include: - **Peckham and Lewisham** (South East London) — arguably the heart of African food retail in the UK. Rye Lane in Peckham hosts numerous African shops selling dried fish, mealie meal, kapenta, African vegetables, and frozen meats including goat. - **Dalston and Hackney** (East London) — another strong concentration of African Caribbean shops. - **Brixton** (South London) — long-established market with African and Caribbean produce including plantain, yam, and dried fish that overlap with Zimbabwean cooking. - **Woolwich and Plumstead** — increasingly popular with Southern African communities. - **Tottenham and Wood Green** (North London) — several African shops serving large Zimbabwean communities in the area. In Birmingham, Lozells, Handsworth, and Soho Road host African and Caribbean stores that stock products relevant to Zimbabwean cooking. Manchester's Moss Side and Hulme areas have similar provision. **What You Can Typically Find** Most African grocery shops in the UK stock: - **Mealie meal** (roller meal and breakfast meal) — brands including Roller, Gloria, and sometimes Zimbabwean-origin stock - **Dried kapenta (matemba)** — widely available in African shops - **Sugar beans and round nuts (groundnuts)** - **Canned and dried vegetables** including muboora (pumpkin leaves) in dried form - **Dried mushrooms (howa)** - **Mahewu** — less common but available in some stores - **African cooking oils**, tomato purées, and spice blends - **Maputi (popcorn)** — the traditional variety available at some stores - **Frozen goat, ox tail, and ox trotters** — commonly used in Zimbabwean stews - **Maguru (tripe)** — available at halal and African butchers Fresh vegetables like covo and rape are less commonly stocked but can occasionally be found at larger African food markets or through community sellers. Some Zimbabweans in the UK grow their own African vegetables during summer months. **Online Retailers** Several UK-based online retailers ship African groceries nationally: - **AfroshopOnline** — stocks a range of Southern African products including mealie meal and dried fish - **Etsy sellers** — individual sellers sometimes stock Zimbabwean-specific items like maputi and traditional snacks - **eBay** — smaller sellers occasionally list Zimbabwean grocery items - **Facebook Marketplace and Facebook Groups** — Zimbabwean community groups on Facebook (search "Zimbabweans in UK" or city-specific groups) are often the best source for community sellers who bring or ship products from Zimbabwe or source them locally **Community Networks** Zimbabwean community WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups are invaluable. Members regularly share where to find specific products, alert the community when a new shipment of Zimbabwean goods has arrived, and sometimes sell homemade products including sadza packs, dried vegetables, and traditional snacks. These informal networks often outperform any formal retail search. **Zimbabwean-Run Businesses** A small but growing number of Zimbabwean entrepreneurs have set up food businesses in the UK, including caterers, supper clubs, and online food shops. These are best discovered through community groups and social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok, where Zimbabwean food creators often promote their services. **Mainstream Supermarket Alternatives** While sadza itself is not stocked, plain maize meal (polenta) sold in Sainsbury's, Tesco, and Asda can serve as a substitute in an emergency, though the texture differs. Woolworths South Africa does not operate in the UK, but South African food brands including Robertsons spices are available in some African shops and through Amazon.