Shoppers resigned to expense but look for savings

Property man Joe Lipton, 28, from Golders Green said he and his wife would spend around £750 on Pesach items.While festival products were "always very expensive", he saw Pesach provisions as "part of your yearly budgeting. I never think about the cost."

At B Kosher in Golders Green, a 20-year-old Orthodox man reasoned that although he would spend a few hundred pounds on food, "there are people getting jobs from it and it's not extortionate. If you spend money on Shabbat, God will pay you back for it. And that's the same for Pesach. It's for the honour of the Yomtov."

Back at Kosher Kingdom, Lois was not relying on spiritual payback. She has set aside a maximum £300 for Pesach food and makes as much as possible herself to save money. "I'm not paying Pesach prices for cakes," she said. "Ridiculous. I can make them. So that cuts out a lot of expense."