Zimbabwean and African Grocery Shops, Food Stores and Community Markets Across UK Cities

For Zimbabweans in the UK, finding the right ingredients to cook sadza, prepare matemba, or source Royco seasoning is not just about food — it is about maintaining a connection to home. A growing network of African grocery stores, Afro-Caribbean shops, and community markets across British cities makes this possible, even if dedicated Zimbabwean-only shops remain rare. ## Where to Find African Grocery Stores in the UK **London** has the highest concentration of African food retailers in the country. Peckham and Brixton are the most established hubs. Rye Lane in Peckham is home to Bims African Foods, a long-standing store stocking a vast selection of fresh West African vegetables — including okra, bitter leaf, and egusi — alongside dried goods and spices. Ridley Road Market in Dalston, one of London's oldest street markets, hosts traders including Nako General Foods, an African and Caribbean grocery store serving the East London diaspora. For Zimbabweans, these markets are often where you will find items like dried fish, cooking oil, and certain relishes that cross over between West, East, and Southern African cuisines. **Birmingham** has a dense cluster of African and Caribbean stores, particularly along Soho Road in Handsworth and the surrounding areas. African Food Store at 342 Soho Road and Sweet Mother African/Caribbean Shop on Coventry Road are among those regularly serving Birmingham's diverse African community. Kofo African Caribbean Supermarket at 22–24 Alcester Road South in Kings Heath combines grocery retail with a beauty section, a common combination in diaspora-serving stores. Jennies Cash and Carry in Birmingham City Centre describes itself as the home of African and Caribbean food and offers next-day nationwide delivery. African Natural Produce Wholesalers near the Birmingham Wholesale Market is a key supplier to smaller shops across the Midlands, specialising in Ghanaian, Nigerian, and Congolese dry goods. **Manchester** has a growing African food retail scene. Gorton Superstore at 578 Hyde Road, Manchester M18 7EE stocks authentic African food ingredients. Shop9ja in Salford offers African groceries, meat, spices, and fashion, with delivery available through Uber Eats and Deliveroo — making it convenient for those who cannot travel far. Kalisha Foods Store on Oldham Road, Manchester M40 2FE, is an African and European food store carrying staples such as plantain, palm oil, cocoyam fufu, and palm nut cream. They can be reached on 07413 904700 for delivery enquiries. **Leeds** is served by AfroGrocers, an online African and Caribbean grocery store based in LS9 that delivers UK-wide — a useful option for Zimbabweans in cities and towns with fewer physical stores. ## What These Stores Stock That Matters to Zimbabweans While most of these shops are West African or Afro-Caribbean in focus, there is significant overlap with Zimbabwean cooking. Staples you can reliably find include: - **Maize meal and mealie meal** — for sadza, often stocked under South African or Nigerian brands - **Dried fish** — matemba equivalents from various regions - **Palm oil and cooking oils** — widely used across African cuisines - **Dried okra and various dried vegetables** - **Scotch bonnet and bird's eye chillies** - **African spice blends and stock cubes** — Royco, Knorr Chicken, and similar brands - **Plantain, yam, and cocoyam** — not Zimbabwean staples, but found in abundance - **Kapenta (small dried fish)** — sometimes stocked in larger stores For more specifically Zimbabwean products — Tanganda tea, Lobels bread mix, Willards crisps, or particular Zimbabwean condiments — online suppliers tend to be more reliable than physical shops. ## Online Options for Zimbabwean-Specific Products ZimGroceries (zimgroceries.co.uk) operates a distinct and valuable service: rather than selling groceries to Zimbabweans in the UK, it delivers groceries directly to families inside Zimbabwe. Based on customer reviews, it has supported over 1,000 families. Customers from the UK, Canada, Australia, and across Europe can order online and have fresh groceries delivered to relatives' doors in Zimbabwe, with photo confirmation of delivery. This is particularly useful for diaspora members who want to go beyond sending money and ensure their family actually receives food. Contact via WhatsApp: +44 7456 737976. For Southern African products more broadly, The South African Spaza Shop, based in Swindon with an online store, stocks products familiar to Zimbabweans — particularly brands shared across the region. They offer free shipping on orders over £100 within Great Britain. ## Finding Stores Near You Directory tools like Afroko (afroko.co.uk) and Abulani (abulani.com) list African and Caribbean stores across the UK with search-by-location functionality. These are useful starting points if you have recently moved to a new city and need to locate the nearest African food shop. ## Community Markets Beyond the Major Cities Smaller cities — including Coventry, Nottingham, Sheffield, and Bristol — have their own African grocery traders, though these can be harder to find without local knowledge. Community WhatsApp groups and Facebook groups for Zimbabweans in specific UK cities are often the fastest way to get reliable, up-to-date recommendations from people who shop there regularly. These shops are more than retail outlets. For many in the diaspora, walking into an African grocery store, hearing familiar languages, and finding ingredients for a Sunday meal is one of the most straightforward ways of feeling at home in the UK.