Zimbabwean Grocery Shops, Butchers, and African Food Stores in the UK: Where to Find Home Ingredients

Finding the ingredients to make sadza, dovi, matemba, or a proper Colcom polony sandwich is no longer the challenge it once was for Zimbabweans in the UK. A growing network of dedicated online retailers, specialist African supermarkets, and local market stalls now makes it possible to source authentic Zimbabwean and Southern African foods from almost anywhere in the country. ## Dedicated Zimbabwean Online Retailers Several UK-based online shops specialise exclusively in Zimbabwean and Southern African groceries, offering nationwide delivery. **Happy Hippo Foods** (hippofoods.co.uk) describes itself as the home of Zimbabwean food in the UK. It stocks staples including Mugaiwa roller meal (5kg for around £9.99–£10.50), pearl millet (mhunga), finger millet (zviyo), samp (manhuchu), white maize kernels, kapenta (matemba), red rice, and peanuts (nzungu). The site also carries Mazoe, spices, condiments, and traditional beverages. Free delivery is available on orders over £60, with standard delivery taking up to four working days. They ship to mainland UK only. **Mwanaka Fresh Farm Foods and Butchery** (mwanakafarmshop.com) is based in Enfield, north London, at 744 Hertford Road, EN3 6PR, and offers both an in-store and online service. It is one of the few UK operations to combine a butchery with a Zimbabwean grocery offer. Their own-brand roller maize meal (5kg) is produced to order and described as non-GMO. They also stock dried covo, sugar beans, ground nuts, finger millet, pearl millet, sorghum, African potato, and cultured milk (mukaka wakakora). Next-day delivery is available for orders placed before 12pm, with a temperature-controlled packaging system for meat and fresh produce. Phone: 01992 765 668. **Zimfoods** (zimfoods.co.uk), based in Birmingham, stocks a broad selection of Zimbabwean biscuits and snacks including Lobels Lemon Creams, Custard Creams, Vanilla Creams, and Bermuda Creams, alongside Charhon's biscuits and Rambawaraira cookies. They also carry Colcom products, Royco Usavi Mix (both chicken and beef), fresh mauyu (baobab fruit), and wholesale options such as boxes of Cerevita (24 units per box). South African products including Knorrox stock cubes, All Gold tomato sauce, Black Cat peanut butter, and Joko tea are also available. Customer reviews suggest reliable tracked postage and delivery times faster than expected. **GazMart** (gazmart.co.uk), established in 2018, is an online supplier of Zimbabwean home foods focused on affordable pricing. Products include Mazoe, Lobels biscuits, and a range of Zimbabwean pantry staples, with a stated aim to serve not just first-generation Zimbabweans but also their UK-born children and the wider communities around them. **Zimtuckshop** (zimtuckshop.co.uk) offers a curated selection of Zimbabwean and Southern African products including Mazoe, Cerevita, maputi, madora (mopane worms), Willards Korn-Kurls, Dairiboard Pfuko Maheu, traditional African print fabric products, traditional herbs, and household utensils. They also sell gift cards in denominations of £10 and £100, making them useful for gifting family in the UK. ## African Supermarkets and Physical Stores by Region For those who prefer to shop in person, African grocery stores across the UK regularly stock Southern African products alongside West and East African ranges. **London**: Peckham (Rye Lane, SE15) is one of the most concentrated areas for African groceries in the UK, often described as a hub for the African diaspora. Brixton Market and Ridley Road Market in Dalston (E8) also carry Afro-Caribbean produce. Many independent shops in these areas stock South African and Zimbabwean items, particularly maize meal, dried fish, and canned goods. **Birmingham**: Handsworth has a strong cluster of African shops catering to a large local community. The Bull Ring Open Market in the city centre offers fresh vegetables including yam, plantains, and greens that overlap with Southern African cooking needs. Zimfoods is also Birmingham-based for click-and-collect or local delivery. **Manchester**: Global African Ltd is described as one of the most diverse African food hubs in the North West, serving Zimbabwean communities among others. Moston Lane has become a notable West African business hub, and Arndale Market carries world food stalls. ## What to Expect Online vs. In-Store Online retailers like Happy Hippo, Mwanaka, and Zimfoods are the most reliable route to specifically Zimbabwean products — branded items like Mazoe, Cerevita, Lobels biscuits, Colcom polony, and roller meal are rarely stocked in mainstream UK supermarkets. Physical African shops in major cities more commonly carry West African staples, though most will stock Southern African maize meal and dried fish products. For bulk buying — particularly roller meal, dried beans, or wholesale biscuits — online Zimbabwean retailers often offer better value. Mwanaka's in-store butchery remains relatively unique in the UK for combining fresh meat with a Zimbabwe-specific grocery range. ## Tips for Diaspora Shoppers - Check for minimum order thresholds for free delivery — Happy Hippo's £60 minimum is worth planning around if buying staples in bulk. - Mwanaka's 12pm cut-off for next-day delivery is strict; orders after Thursday noon typically arrive the following Tuesday unless a Saturday delivery option is selected. - Zimfoods and GazMart periodically offer sale pricing that can halve the regular cost of biscuits and condiments — worth checking before paying full price. - For traditional herbs, moringa, and utensils, Zimtuckshop and Mwanaka are the most specialist options currently available online in the UK.