Zimbabwean Grocery and Food Shopping in the UK: Where to Buy Sadza, Matemba, Nyimo, Covo, and Other Home Staples

Finding the taste of home in the UK has become considerably easier over the past decade. A growing network of Zimbabwean and Southern African online food retailers now ships maize meal, matemba, Mazoe, Lobels biscuits, and other staples directly to doorsteps across mainland Britain — often within four working days. **Key Online Retailers** **Happy Hippo Foods** (hippofoods.co.uk) is one of the most established Zimbabwean food retailers in the UK, describing itself as the 'Home of Zimbabwe Food.' Their range covers the essentials: roller meal (mugaiwa, 5kg for £10.50), white maize kernels (1kg for £3.50), kapenta/matemba (200g for £4.49), finger millet (zviyo), pearl millet (mhunga), red rice, samp (manhuchu), peanuts (nzungu), and sorghum. They offer free delivery on orders over £60 and ship to mainland UK only, with delivery typically within four working days. **Zimfoods** (zimfoods.co.uk), based in Birmingham, stocks a wide selection of Zimbabwean branded products including Lobels biscuits (Lemon Creams, Custard Creams, Vanilla Creams, Bermuda Creams), Cerevita (both banana and chocolate malt flavours, available in wholesale boxes of 24), Royco Usavi Mix in chicken and beef variants, Colcom French Polony, Family Peanut Butter (dovi), Rajah curry powders, Knorrox stock cubes, Joko tea, and fresh mauyu. They also carry South African staples commonly used in Zimbabwean cooking such as All Gold tomato sauce and Nola mayonnaise. Prices are generally reasonable, with many items in the £1.50–£5.00 range. **Solide Store UK** (solidestore.uk) specialises in Zimbabwean products and stocks matemba (Kariba dried kapenta) in 250g and 1kg quantities. They can be reached via WhatsApp on +44 7728 598027 or +44 7361 031838, which is useful for checking availability or placing orders directly. **GazMart** (gazmart.co.uk), established in 2018, focuses on Zimbabwean home foods including Mazoe, Willards Thingz, and Lobels products. They position themselves around affordability, aiming to remove the premium pricing often associated with diaspora food shopping. **The South African Spaza Shop** (southafricanshop.uk) stocks Zimbabwean products alongside South African ones — including Mazoe Cream Soda, Mazoe Orange Crush, Royco Mchuzi Mix, and Willards Thingz. This is a useful option given the significant overlap between Zimbabwean and South African pantry staples. **Hungwe Tuckshop** (hungwetuckshop.co.uk) offers a range of African groceries and snacks including madora (mopane worms), ciders like Savanna Dry and Hunters Gold, and various Southern African products. They operate in the Woolwich Arsenal area of London and offer collection in addition to delivery. They also run city-to-city delivery tours — contact them on 07472350503 to find out their schedule. **What You Can Source in the UK** The following staples are generally available through the retailers above: - **Sadza ingredients**: Roller meal, white maize meal, and fine maize meal. The South African Iwisa brand is also available on Amazon UK and through various African shops. Pearlenta, the most popular brand in Zimbabwe, is occasionally stocked by specialist retailers. - **Matemba/Kapenta**: Dried Kariba kapenta is widely available through Happy Hippo Foods and Solide Store UK. - **Nyimo (jugo beans)**: Less commonly listed online but worth checking with Happy Hippo Foods or enquiring directly with retailers. - **Covo and muriwo**: Fresh African leafy greens are harder to source online but are often found in African and Caribbean market stalls, particularly in cities like London, Birmingham, Coventry, Leicester, and Sheffield. Markets such as Brixton Market, Peckham, Handsworth in Birmingham, and Chapeltown in Leeds often stock these. - **Mazoe**: Multiple flavours including Orange Crush and Cream Soda are available through GazMart, Zimfoods, and the South African Spaza Shop. - **Royco Usavi Mix**: Available through Zimfoods and the South African Spaza Shop in both chicken and beef variants. - **Lobels biscuits and Cerevita**: Stocked by Zimfoods. - **Madora (mopane worms)**: Available through Hungwe Tuckshop. - **Mahewu and maputi**: Availability varies — worth checking with individual retailers. **Tips for Diaspora Food Shopping** For fresh greens like covo, rape, or chomolia, your best bet remains local African and Caribbean grocery shops or markets rather than online delivery. In London, Dalston, Peckham, and Brixton are reliable areas. Outside London, check markets in Handsworth (Birmingham), Chapeltown (Leeds), and St Pauls (Bristol). For bulk buying — particularly maize meal, matemba, and Cerevita — several retailers offer wholesale pricing. Zimfoods lists wholesale boxes of Cerevita at £170–£180 for a case of 24. Buying in bulk with family or friends in your city can significantly reduce both cost and delivery fees. Many of these retailers are small, diaspora-run businesses. Checking their websites or social media for stock availability before ordering is advisable, as products can sell out, particularly around festive periods.