"For more years than I care to remember the Stena Line HSS to Manchester over Patrick's weekend is packed with dozens of us off on the annual hunt for that rare commodity (in this country anyway) . . . kosher food, " he wrote in a message posted to the Shalom Ireland internet message board.

Ireland's small Jewish community dates back over a century, but despite deep roots in the country, kosher provision for observant Jews . . . especially at Passover . . . isn't meeting the demand in the market, according to Golding and other members of the community.

Although SuperValu in Churchtown, Dublin provides a dedicated "kosher corner" through an arrangement with the community, they say the variety is limited, prices too high and supply inconsistent. The situation has reportedly led to hoarding on the one hand and efforts to bypass SuperValu altogether by ordering direct from wholesalers or travelling to Manchester.

There used to be several Jewish groceries and butchers in the south Dublin areas where Jews were concentrated but, as the population aged and dwindled, these businesses closed. The Big Cheese Co in Dublin city centre picked up the kosher trade in the 1990s but most found it unsatisfactory. Eventually, community leaders approached SuperValu, which sectioned off a part of its store for kosher food. But SuperValu, too, has been dogged by dissatisfaction, highlighting the challenges of serving a small . . . though profitable . . . niche market with unique requirements.

"People find it cheaper to drive to Manchester to stock up, " says Raphael Siev, a SuperValu customer. "[SuperValu is] missing a huge business opportunity. Like Christmas . . . this should be the most profitable period but people will only buy if the variety is there and the prices are good."

He acknowledges that SuperValu has limited floor and shelf space for new products, but argues that keener prices would improve turnaround. Other shoppers echoed Siev's comments, adding that they made a point of shopping at SuperValu despite prices for kosher meat at double those of non-kosher meat.

Such high prices are partly explained by the poor economies of scale in serving a market of . . . at most . . . 2,000 people. The other side of the equation is supply, as John Murphy, sales director of Liffey Meats, one of Ireland's two kosher meat producers, points out.

"If people order it from us we'll sell it and deliver it, " he says.

"At Passover demand rises but production doesn't."

Liffey's total kosher business . . . which serves all of western Europe . . . accounts for less than 1% of turnover, he says, so fixed costs prevent quick responses to local demands.

Some Irish Jews have turned to UK kosher suppliers instead, like Titanics of Manchester. By clubbing together, five or six families can have palettes of food delivered for about 50 per family . . . "on the QT", as one community member put it . . . although Titanics had to suspend shipping this year because of problems with the courier it was using.

Titanics' problems is familiar to Sean O'Doherty, manager of SuperValu Churchtown.

"There's a 10-day lead time on orders at least, " he says. "If the winds are up, it doesn't come; if we're struggling on space, it sits in storage. We're either over- or understocked. Our supply chain problems mean that if something is coming on a Tuesday, we tell people Wednesday or Thursday. If volumes were the same all year round, it would be no problem."

O'Doherty acknowledges that prices "aren't great" but puts it down to low volumes. He can hardly be accused of neglecting the business, though. He has added an extra fridge this year for packaged meat and dairy and has assigned two full-time staff to manage the kosher section. He says the section has seen higher footfall this year . . . mostly Israelis who work at Intel . . . and the kosher business had improved revenue in the shop overall, as hundreds of ordinary food products are "parve", or kosher-neutral.

Storage, however, remains a problem, as the store has limited warehouse space. Deliveries are also frequently turned away if the truck has the wrong lift, leading to shortages, frustration and shoppers making their own arrangements.

Ironically, those who seek alternatives when SuperValu lets them down can be accused of undermining the system they would prefer to use, according Leonard Abrahamson, president of the Jewish Representative Council of Ireland, which helped SuperValu set up the kosher section. "It's an over-reaction to go all the way to Manchester, " he says. "The more people circumvent the system, the harder it will be to provide it. If people could be patient, there wouldn't be a problem."

Golding, who runs an import-dependent business of his own, disagrees: "In business you have to get around these issues."