Your Complete Guide to Shopping for Ghanaian Ingredients in UK Supermarkets and Markets

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By Aba, Ghanaian Nutritionist

The first time I tried to make kontomire stew in London, I spent forty minutes looking for kontomire or anything remotely close.
That was before I knew where to look. Before I understood that London, for all its initial resistance, actually has an extraordinary network of African food shops, and that once you know them, cooking Ghanaian food properly in the UK is genuinely possible without a weekly sense of grief about what is not available.
This is the guide I wish someone had handed me on arrival.

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What you can get in UK supermarkets

The main supermarkets, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons, M&S and Aldi will not have everything, but they are reliable for a core set of ingredients that form the base of most Ghanaian cooking.
You can consistently find ginger, garlic and onions in every major supermarket. Scotch bonnet peppers are increasingly available, particularly in Tesco and Sainsbury’s. Tinned tomatoes, which are actually excellent for stew bases and arguably more consistent than fresh, are everywhere. Frozen spinach is a reliable kontomire substitute and nutritionally solid, freezing preserves folate and iron well. Chicken, mackerel, beef and eggs are standard. Plantain availability varies by location but is increasingly common in larger branches.
A note on frozen vegetables, they are not nutritionally inferior to fresh. Most are blanched immediately after harvest, which locks in nutrients. Frozen spinach in a kontomire stew works. Do not let perfect be the enemy of a meal that actually gets made.
Asian supermarkets, and there are excellent ones across London, are genuinely underrated for Ghanaian cooking. Taro root, identical to cocoyam, frozen cassava, a wide range of dried fish, unusual peppers, affordable fresh ginger in bulk, and fermented pastes that work as dawadawa substitutes are all standard stock in a good Asian supermarket.

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When the supermarket is not enough: substitutions that actually work

Original	UK Substitute	Notes
Kontomire	Frozen spinach	Iron, folate, fibre — frozen is fine
Cocoyam leaves	Cavolo nero or kale	Darker leaves hold up in stews
Garden eggs	Small white or baby aubergine	Same texture, mild flavour
Garden pepper	Green pepper + scotch bonnet	Replicates mild heat
Momoni	Anchovy fillets or paste	Use sparingly
Dawadawa	Miso paste	Both fermented, both add umami
Prekese	Tamarind paste + smoked paprika	Two substitutes for two flavour notes
Smoked fish	Smoked mackerel	Widely available, affordable
Tilapia	Sea bream or red snapper	Closest texture and flavour
Herrings	Sardines in brine or fresh sprats	Similar oily fish profile
Cocoyam / eddoe	Taro root from Asian supermarkets	Identical ingredient, different name
Fresh cassava	Frozen cassava (African / Asian shops)	No meaningful difference in cooking

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African food shops in London, the full map

I have dropped all the stores on the map below. Click any pin for the address, phone number and opening hours — then you can get directions straight from your phone

[https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/embed?mid=1c2qkUodKlLjQ-8X05wG-imVQO7sM8Rs&ehbc=2E312F&noprof=1]

South London

Store	Postcode	What to know
Kumasi Market	SE15 5ED	One of the best-stocked Ghanaian shops in London. Fresh leaves, kontomire when available, dawadawa, full spice range.
Bims African Food Store	SE15 4ST	Peckham staple. Reliable for dried fish, palm oil, canned goods and grains.
Afro Cash and Carry	SE15 5AD	Bulk buying. Good for rice, palm oil, dried goods. Lower prices on larger quantities.
Brixton Market	SW9 8PR	Multicultural. African, Caribbean and seafood. Good for fresh fish, plantain, peppers.

North London

Store	Postcode	What to know
Ghana Market NW10	NW10 4UJ	Specifically Ghanaian stock. Good range of spices, fermented ingredients, dried fish.
African Food Centre Cricklewood	NW2 6LB	Well-stocked. Palm oil, grains, canned goods, reasonable prices.
Kumasi Central Market Tottenham	N15 5BY	Large range. Verify it is still open before making the trip.

East London

Store	Postcode	What to know
Ridley Road Market	E8 2NP	Outdoor market. African food vendors alongside Caribbean and Asian stalls. Good for fresh produce, fish, plantain.
Nungua Market	E7 8LF	Ghanaian-focused. Fresh and dried ingredients. Worth the trip if you are in East London.
Walthamstow African Grocery Stores	E17 area	Several independent shops along the high street. Stock varies, explore the area.

West London

Store	Postcode	What to know
TM African Food	W12 8LB	Goldhawk Road. Good range of West African stock. Reliable for staples.
Wembley African and Asian Supermarkets	HA9 area	Multiple options. Good for rice, spices, meat cuts and Asian crossover ingredients.

Central London

Store	Postcode	What to know
Chinatown Asian Supermarkets	W1D area	Newport Court and surroundings. Excellent for taro, frozen cassava, dried fish, unusual peppers, fermented ingredients.

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How to shop smarter

African shops for the ingredients that cannot be substituted, kontomire when it is available, dawadawa, specific dried fish, palm oil in the right grade. Asian supermarkets for cocoyam, frozen cassava, bulk ginger, fermented pastes. Mainstream supermarkets for the base ingredients you need consistently and do not want to make a special trip for. Butchers for specific meat cuts that supermarkets do not stock or do not cut the way you need.
Plan your African shop as a bulk trip rather than a weekly necessity. Most dried goods, oils and canned items keep well. Knowing your nearest shop and making the trip every two to three weeks, stocking up properly each time, is more practical than trying to shop daily.
And if you want a plan that accounts for both what is available in UK shops and what a Ghanaian eating pattern should look like for weight management, our digital plans include UK-specific substitution guidance throughout. [https://theweightgoals.com/plans/]