Chocs away, it's our sweetest love affair.

(From Irish Independent)

From its warehouse in the Bronx, Food Ireland Inc specialises in supplying homesick expatriates with a genuine taste of the Emerald Isle.

There is much demand for Irish foodstuffs that are difficult to purchase in the US and onparts of the Continent. Thanks to enterprising companies like Food Ireland Inc, you can order Galtee sausages, Tayto crisps, Boland's biscuits and Barry's tea online.

Those with a sweet tooth can choose from a wide selection of Cadbury's chocolate. Youcan order a box of Flakes, bars of Dairy Milk and, if Double Deckers take your fancy, Ireland Inc will ship those to you too.

For ex-pats bored by fancy, pricey Belgian chocolates and ubiquitous Hershey bars, devouring a Fruit and Nut must feel like a little sliver of the home country. Except, ofcourse, it's not. It is all too easy to forget that Cadbury's is not Irish. In fact, the enormous growth of Cadbury's is one of Britain's top success stories.

But, over the years, the Irish have fallen in love with the chocolate company that started life in Birmingham in the early 19th century. And, it seems, we can't get enough of the gaily-packaged snacks.

Every day, apparently, we munch through a whopping 685,000 Twirls, Crunchies, Time Outs and assorted bars in Cadbury's extensive, enticing portfolio. And, in case thatstatistic isn't jaw-dropping - or gob-stopping - enough, Cadbury's publicists will tell you that the Irish consume some 250m of their bars each year. The chocolate industry here claims the Irish market is especially lucrative as we are the third highest consumers ofchocolate in the world - marginally behind the Czech Republic and Norway - andconsumption here is rising by 3pc a year.