Zimbabwean Grocery and Food Shopping in the UK: Where to Buy Sadza, Matemba, Maputi, and More

Recreating the tastes of home from a UK kitchen is entirely possible, and a growing number of dedicated online retailers and physical shops now stock everything from mealie meal and matemba to Mazoe, maputi, and Lobels biscuits. The Zimbabwean diaspora in the UK no longer has to rely on occasional suitcases from visiting relatives — though those remain welcome. **Online Zimbabwean Food Retailers** Several UK-based online shops have built their businesses specifically around Zimbabwean and southern African food products, shipping nationwide. **Zimfoods (zimfoods.co.uk)** is a Birmingham-based retailer stocking a broad range of Zimbabwean grocery staples. Their catalogue includes Lobels biscuits (Lemon Creams, Custard Creams, Vanilla Creams, Bermuda Creams), Charhons Quality Biscuits, Cerevita porridge (banana and chocolate malt varieties), Royco Usavi Mix in both chicken and beef flavours, Colcom French Polony, Family Peanut Butter (dovi), and fresh mauyu fruit. They also stock South African crossover products familiar to many Zimbabwean households, including Rajah curry powder, All Gold tomato sauce, Black Cat peanut butter, Knorrox stock cubes, and Joko tea. Wholesale options are available, with Cerevita boxes of 24 units priced around £170–£180, making it worth coordinating group orders with other families. **GazMart (gazmart.co.uk)** has been operating since 2018 and positions itself around the tagline "from home to your door." They stock Mazoe orange crush and other Zimbabwean favourites, with an emphasis on affordability. **Zimtuckshop (zimtuckshop.co.uk)** stocks Zimbabwean Unrefined Mealie Meal (Mugaiwa) at £7.99 per bag. Mugaiwa is the coarser, less processed form of maize meal, prized for the earthy flavour it gives sadza and for making chimodho (maize cakes). It is also gluten-free. The site notes it pairs well with peanut butter and stocks traditional cooking spoons alongside grocery items. **Kalahari Moon (kalaharimoon.co.uk)** is based in Bristol and stocks a solid range of Zimbabwean-specific products. Their listings include Maputi Maize/Corn Snack (50g at £0.95), Dairiboard Udiwo Maheu (500ml at £1.95), Dairiboard Pfuko Maheu Buttermilk (500ml at £1.95), Schweppes Mazoe Syrup in orange, cream soda, and raspberry flavours (2L at £8.50), Nyimo beans (500g at £3.45), Willards Korn Kurls and Chicken Flings, Cheeky Chilli Peri Peri Sauce, and Charhons biscuits. They can be reached on +44 117 929 9879. **Solide Store UK (solidestore.uk)** specialises in Zimbabwean products with a particular focus on matemba — the sun-dried Kariba kapenta fish central to so many Zimbabwean meals. They stock matemba in 250g and 1kg quantities, with WhatsApp contact available on +44 7728 598027 or +44 7361 031838 for orders and enquiries. **Happy Hippo Foods (hippofoods.co.uk)** has stocked kapenta/matemba in 200g portions (£4.49), though availability can vary — worth checking their site regularly as stock fluctuates. **Maize Meal from South African Shops** For mealie meal, South African food retailers are a useful and widely accessible alternative. The South African Spaza Shop (southafricanshop.uk), based in Swindon but shipping to England, Scotland, and Wales, stocks brands such as Iwisa No 1 Super Maize Meal. Many Zimbabweans use these products interchangeably for sadza, as the maize meal specification is similar to what is produced in Zimbabwe. **Key Products and What to Look For** - **Sadza**: Requires white maize meal (not yellow, which gives a different texture and taste). Look for "roller meal" or "super maize meal" specifications. Mugaiwa is the unrefined version. - **Matemba**: Dried kapenta (small freshwater sardines from Lake Kariba). Also called matemba in Zimbabwe, kapenta in Zambia. Rich in protein, iron, omega-3, and vitamin B12. - **Maputi**: Roasted maize snack. Available at Kalahari Moon in 50g packets. - **Mazoe**: The iconic Zimbabwean orange cordial. Schweppes produces it under licence and 2L bottles are available at multiple online retailers around £8.50. - **Maheu**: The fermented maize drink. Dairiboard's Udiwo and Pfuko varieties are available in the UK. - **Usavi mix**: Royco Usavi Mix (chicken or beef) is the go-to flavouring for relish and is available from multiple retailers. - **Dovi**: Family Peanut Butter is stocked at Zimfoods and is the closest equivalent to the groundnut paste used in traditional peanut butter stew. **Practical Tips** Many of these retailers offer UK-wide delivery with tracking. Ordering in bulk — particularly for heavier items like mealie meal or wholesale Cerevita — brings unit costs down and reduces postage relative to order value. Some retailers serve customers across Europe, including Russia and other countries where Zimbabweans are based. For those in areas with African grocery markets — particularly in London (Peckham, Brixton, Tottenham), Birmingham, Manchester, and Leicester — physical shops often carry some of these items, though the specifically Zimbabwean selection is more reliable through dedicated online retailers. Nigerian and Ghanaian shops sometimes stock kapenta and maize meal as crossover staples common across multiple African cuisines.