Zimbabwean Grocery and Butchery Shops in the UK: Where to Buy Indigenous Foods

Finding the taste of home in the UK is considerably easier than it was a decade ago. A growing network of Zimbabwean and Southern African grocery shops, butcheries, and online stores now serves the diaspora community across the country, stocking everything from Mazoe Orange Crush and Cerevita to matemba, madora, mufushwa, and Colcom polony. **Physical Shops** One of the most well-known physical destinations is Palmers Quality Butchers, located in Bletchley, Milton Keynes. The shop has built a loyal following among Zimbabweans in the Milton Keynes, Bedford, and surrounding areas, stocking a wide range of indigenous foods alongside fresh and processed meats. Customers regularly describe it as welcoming and family-oriented. The shop is accessible via a simple Google search for "Palmers Milton Keynes." Also in the Milton Keynes area is MK Zim Foods, located inside Agora Market Place at Units 32 and 33, 140A Queensway, Bletchley. This shop caters specifically to the Zimbabwean and Southern African community and is worth visiting for anyone based in that part of the country. **Online Stores Delivering Across the UK** For those not within easy reach of a physical African grocery shop, several online retailers now offer delivery across the UK and in some cases internationally. **Zimfoods (zimfoods.co.uk)** is a Birmingham-based online store that stocks a broad range of Zimbabwean groceries, beverages, snacks, and traditional items. Their catalogue includes Royco Usavi Mix, Knorrox stock cubes, Lobels biscuits, Charhons biscuits, Black Cat peanut butter, Family peanut butter (dovi), Moirs custard and instant pudding, Nola mayonnaise, Joko tea, Lyons Quick Brew tea, and fresh mauyu (baobab fruit). Prices are generally in the £2.99–£9.99 range for individual grocery items, with Colcom French Polony available at £24.99 for 750g. Customer reviews highlight reliable tracking and faster-than-expected delivery. **Zimtuckshop (zimtuckshop.co.uk)** positions itself as a one-stop shop for Zimbabwean and Southern African products, with a tagline of "bringing you closer to home." Their range covers traditional foods, beverages, snacks, skincare, African print fabric products, books and novels, gifts and souvenirs, and bulk buying options. Specific products include Shemark matemba/kapenta (normally £7.45, periodically discounted), Shemark zviyo/rapoko/finger millet at £7.99, Shemark mumhare (parboiled dried corn), mufushwa weMuboora (dried pumpkin leaves), powdered derere/okra at £4.50, and Shemark Zumbani herbal tea. Some items sell out quickly, so it is worth joining waitlists for popular products. **Tengai Online (tengaionline.com)**, based in Hamilton, can be reached at +44 330 133 0675 or sales@tengaionline.com. They stock dried kapenta (matemba) at £23.84 per kilogram. **Hippo Store (myhippostore.co.uk)**, based at Three Gables Business Centre, Cornerhall, Hemel Hempstead, stocks Honde Valley matemba kapenta in 5x100g packs and can be reached at support@myhippostore.co.uk. **TZ Store (tzstore.org)**, based in Sittingbourne, Kent, also stocks Zimbabwean groceries and snacks. Contact: +44 7355 567533. **What to Expect on the Shelves** Across these stores, the most commonly stocked items include: - **Staples:** Royco usavi mix (chicken and beef), Knorrox stock cubes, Aromat seasoning, Rajah curry powder - **Biscuits and snacks:** Lobels biscuits, Charhons biscuits, Bakers Zoo biscuits, Bakers Tennis coconut biscuits, Topper biscuits, maputi - **Traditional foods:** matemba/kapenta, madora (mopane worms), mufushwa, rapoko/finger millet, mumhare, derere/okra powder, mauyu - **Drinks:** Mazoe, Milo, Tang - **Spreads:** Black Cat peanut butter, Family peanut butter, Nola mayonnaise - **Dairy and puddings:** Moirs custard, Moirs instant pudding - **Teas:** Joko tea, Lyons Quick Brew, Zumbani/umsuzwane herbal tea, moringa tea - **Meats:** Colcom polony and processed meats through select butcheries **Community Tips** The Facebook group "UK & Zimbabwe Grocery Clubs" is a useful community resource for finding stock availability, group orders, and new suppliers. Many Zimbabweans also use these stores for sending grocery hampers to family members in Zimbabwe or other parts of Europe. For those in cities without a dedicated Zimbabwean shop, larger African and Caribbean grocery stores often carry overlapping stock, particularly South African branded products that are common in Zimbabwe.