Where to Buy Zimbabwean Food in the UK: Sadza, Mazoe, Covo, Mahewu and More

One of the most common questions among newly arrived Zimbabweans in the UK is where to find the ingredients and products that make a house feel like home. Sadza, Mazoe, mahewu, covo, matemba, maputi, Royco usavi mix, Lobels biscuits — these are not luxury items for the diaspora. They are the building blocks of everyday Zimbabwean cooking and comfort. Fortunately, a growing number of UK-based online retailers now stock these products and deliver nationwide. **Dedicated Zimbabwean and Southern African Online Retailers** Several specialist online stores have emerged specifically to serve the Zimbabwean and broader Southern African community in the UK. **Kalahari Moon** (kalaharimoon.co.uk) is one of the most comprehensive, stocking a wide range of authentic Zimbabwean products. Their range includes Dairiboard Udiwo Maheu (500ml at around £1.95), Dairiboard Pfuko Maheu Buttermilk (500ml), Schweppes Mazoe syrup in orange, cream soda, and raspberry flavours (2L at approximately £8.50), Willards Korn Kurls and Chicken Flings, Charhons Quality Biscuits, Royco Usavi Mix in beef and chicken, Yugo Nyimo Beans, and Maputi maize snacks. They can be reached on +44 117 929 9879 and are based in Bristol. **Zimfoods** (zimfoods.co.uk), based in Birmingham, carries a wide range of familiar Zimbabwean products including Lobels biscuits (Choice, Lemon Creams, Custard Creams, Vanilla Creams, Bermuda Creams), Charhons biscuits, Royco Usavi Mix, Colcom French Polony, Cerevita in banana and chocolate malt flavours — including wholesale boxes of 24 units — as well as Family Peanut Butter (dovi) and fresh mauyu. They also ship internationally, with customers as far as Russia reporting timely deliveries with tracked postage. **GazMart** (gazmart.co.uk) was established in 2018 and positions itself as a home-delivery Zimbabwean food supplier. Their stated mission is to bring Zimbabwean food "from home to your door" without charging premium prices, and they also cater to second-generation Zimbabweans and non-Zimbabwean customers curious about Southern African food. **Happy Hippo Foods** (hippofoods.co.uk) ships to mainland UK and offers free delivery on orders over £60. Their range focuses heavily on grains and staples that form the base of Zimbabwean cooking: Mugaiwa Roller Meal 5kg (around £10.50), White Maize Kernels 1kg (£3.50), Pearl Millet (Mhunga/Nyauti) 1kg (£3.60), Finger Millet (Zviyo), Sorghum, Kapenta/Matemba 200g (£4.49), Red Rice, Samp, and Peanuts. Delivery takes up to four working days. **Mwanaka Fresh Farm Foods and Butchery** (mwanakafarmshop.com) is based in Enfield, north London (744 Hertford Road, EN3 6PR; phone: 01992 765 668) and offers both an in-store experience and nationwide delivery for fresh and frozen products. They specialise in meats including boerewors (original and garlic flavours), mixed cuts, pork trotters, and Chakalaka Beef Boerewors. They also carry Mwanaka-branded maize meal, roller meal, mhunga, sorghum, and finger millet in 5kg bags. Orders placed by 12pm receive next-day delivery; orders after 12pm Thursday arrive the following Tuesday. **Finding Sadza Meal in Mainstream and Other Shops** For sadza specifically, the most commonly available product in the UK is Iwisa Super Maize Meal, which is a South African white maize meal that produces a very similar result. It is available from 4way Foods (4wayfoods.com) in 2.5kg bags, as well as from most of the Zimbabwean retailers listed above. Some mainstream African and Caribbean grocery shops, particularly in areas with large African communities such as Peckham, Brixton, Tottenham, Handsworth in Birmingham, and Moss Side in Manchester, also stock white maize meal. **Covo and Fresh Vegetables** Covo (rape leaves) and other traditional Zimbabwean vegetables such as derere (okra) and mufushwa (dried vegetables) are harder to find online but can often be sourced from African grocery markets in major UK cities. Markets in Woolwich, Peckham, and Wembley frequently stock fresh rape or similar leafy greens. Some Zimbabwean community groups on Facebook also run informal food networks where fresh covo is circulated within communities. **Tips for Zimbabwean Grocery Shopping in the UK** Buying in bulk from online retailers generally reduces per-unit costs and delivery fees. Most of the specialist shops listed above offer free delivery above a threshold (Happy Hippo at £60, for example). Joining local Zimbabwean WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups (search "Zimbabweans in [your city] UK") is one of the most reliable ways to find out about new suppliers, bulk buying groups, and informal imports of hard-to-find items like fresh mauyu, mapfunde, and specific Zimbabwean brands.