Zimbabwean Grocery Shops, Butchers, and African Food Stores in the UK: Where to Find Sadza, Matemba, Covo, and Other Home Foods

For Zimbabweans in the UK, the search for proper sadza, matemba, covo, or a cold Mazoe Orange Crush is not just about food — it is about maintaining a connection to home. Fortunately, a growing network of online and physical shops now serves the Zimbabwean and Southern African diaspora across the UK, making it possible to source authentic staples without paying inflated prices at mainstream supermarkets. ## Dedicated Zimbabwean Online Stores **Zim Foods (zimfoods.co.uk)** is one of the most established online Zimbabwean food retailers, based in Birmingham. Their catalogue covers a wide range of familiar products including Lobels biscuits (Lemon Creams, Custard Creams, Vanilla Creams, Bermuda Creams), Charhon's biscuits, Colcom French Polony, Royco Usavi Mix (chicken and beef), Cerevita in both banana and chocolate malt varieties, Family Peanut Butter, and fresh Mauyu fruit. They offer wholesale options — for example, a box of 24 Cerevita tins is available for around £170–£180. Delivery comes with tracking, and customer reviews note reliable turnaround times. They ship across the UK and internationally. **Happy Hippo Foods (hippofoods.co.uk)** focuses heavily on grains, staples, and cooking essentials. Their range includes Mugaiwa Roller Meal (5kg for £10.50), Kapenta/Matemba (200g for £4.49), white maize kernels, pearl millet (Mhunga/Nyauti), finger millet (Zviyo), samp (Manhuchu), red rice, brown rice, peanuts (Nzungu), and Mazoe and Sparletta drinks. They offer free delivery on orders over £60 and ship to mainland UK only, with delivery taking up to four working days. This is a strong option for those cooking traditional Zimbabwean meals regularly. **GazMart (gazmart.co.uk)**, established in 2018, positions itself as a home food supplier with a stated mission of "from home to your door" at affordable prices. Their stock includes Mazoe drinks, Dairibord Pfuko, Lobels biscuits, and various Zimbabwean pantry staples. GazMart also frames its offering as a way to introduce Zimbabwean flavours to the next generation and to wider communities — a useful option for mixed households. **Hungwe Tuckshop (hungwetuckshop.co.uk)** offers a broader Southern African range including Madora (mopane worms), Savanna Dry Cider, Hunters Gold Cider, and various snacks, drinks, and fabrics. Based in Woolwich Arsenal, London, they offer both delivery and click-and-collect. They also run city-to-city tours, so it is worth contacting them at 07472350503 to find out when they may be visiting your area. Operating hours are Monday to Saturday, 9am to 9pm. ## Shopping for Family Back Home in Zimbabwe **ZimGroceries (zimgroceries.co.uk)** operates a different model — rather than delivering to you in the UK, they allow diaspora members to shop online and have groceries delivered directly to family in Zimbabwe. They source products locally within Zimbabwe to ensure freshness, claim delivery within three to five business days, and are currently delivering in Harare and surrounding areas with expansion planned. Orders over $100 qualify for free delivery. This is a practical option for those supporting relatives back home without going through informal channels. ## Broader African and Southern African Stores Several stores cater to the wider African and Southern African community and stock Zimbabwean products as part of a broader range. **4Way Foods (4wayfoods.com)** stocks Zimbabwean staples including sadza (maize meal), Mazoe drinks, Dairibord Pfuko, sugar beans, and peanut butter for sauces, alongside West African, East African, and South African products. Their online supermarket model is useful for those wanting to consolidate a mixed African grocery shop in one order. **The South African Spaza Shop (southafricanshop.uk)**, based in Swindon (Unit 10 Woodside Park, Woodside Road, South Marston, SN3 4WA; tel: 01793 826 777), carries maize meal and many pantry staples that overlap with Zimbabwean cooking, including Iwisa and similar mealie meal brands. They have been trading for over six years and hold a 4.8 Google rating. They offer both online delivery and a physical store. **The Savanna** operates over a dozen London stores alongside nationwide online delivery, with a butchery in Wimbledon producing fresh biltong and boerewors. While primarily South African, their product range and fresh meat offering makes them relevant for Zimbabweans in London who want quality braai meats and Southern African pantry items in one place. ## Key Products and What to Look For When stocking a Zimbabwean kitchen in the UK, the essentials typically fall into these categories: - **Starches:** Roller meal (for sadza), Mugaiwa, finger millet (Zviyo), sorghum - **Relishes and proteins:** Kapenta/Matemba, Madora, sugar beans, peanut butter (Dovi) - **Vegetables:** Covo and rape leaves are sometimes available fresh at African greengrocers in cities with large Zimbabwean populations (London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leicester, Coventry). These are also occasionally found in Caribbean and West African shops - **Drinks:** Mazoe Orange Crush, Sparletta, Cerevita - **Processed foods:** Colcom products, Lobels biscuits, Charhon's biscuits, Royco Usavi Mix, Knorrox stock cubes - **Condiments:** Black Cat or Family Peanut Butter, All Gold Tomato Sauce, Rajah Curry Powder ## Practical Tips For fresh vegetables like covo and rape, your best local options are African and Caribbean markets in major cities. These are not reliably available online due to perishability. Ask at your nearest African grocery or market stall, as stock varies week to week. For bulk buying, many of these retailers offer wholesale pricing — Zim Foods, for instance, sells Cerevita by the case, which is cost-effective if you are buying for a church group, social club, or extended family. Prices across these platforms are competitive with — and often lower than — what you would find at a general African shop on the high street, and the convenience of nationwide delivery removes the need to travel to specialist areas of major cities.