The ever-growing cost of the weekly shop has become an unwelcome reality for households.

But perhaps shoppers should study their receipts more carefully – as it is revealed that supermarkets are charging more for chives than the price of silver.

Shops are selling jars of dried chives for £2,000 per kg - nearly 50 per cent more than the price of silver, which was trading at £1,415 per kilo today.

A 1g jar of dried chives by Schwartz is currently £2 in leading supermarkets including Morrisons, Tesco and Asda.

And on Schwartz's own website, the same product is priced even higher at £2.15 - equivalent to £2,150 per kilogram. The company even encourages cooks to 'use generously' despite the eye-watering cost.

At the £2,000 per kilo price, a recipe which asks for three tablespoons would require about £18 worth, as each holds about 3g of dried herbs.

In comparison, fresh chives can be purchased from Asda, Morrisons and Tesco for prices from £24 to £30 per kilogram. All three sell packs of the fresh herb weighing between 20g and 25g for around 60p. They also stock own-brand dried chives for the relatively modest price of around £300 per kilo.

Consumer experts said the price of brands such as Schwartz is a form of 'expectation pricing', which rely on shoppers expecting to pay around £1 or £2 for a jar of herbs without realising the price is far more than production costs or other similar products.

Martyn James, a consumer rights expert, said: 'The mysteries of supermarket pricing can leave many millions of people befuddled as they wander the aisles. But when you strip away the packaging and look at the cost of the raw materials, the results can be shocking.

'No doubt manufacturers will say that the cost of the bottle, cultivation and transport all lead to that final £2 to £2.15 price tag. But as we learn more about what our food actually costs to produce, people are going to become increasingly aware - and annoyed - about blatant overcharging.'

Sue Hayward, a consumer and personal finance expert, said shoppers can save by purchasing fresh herbs or supermarket own brands.

She pointed out that alternatives are available for far cheaper, such as an 18g pot of dried mixed herbs in Asda's Just Essentials range for 66p - just 0.3 per cent of the per-kilo cost of Schwartz's dried chives.

'Stocking your kitchen cupboards with some dried herbs can be pricey, especially when you spot the unit price per kilogram, which can be a whopping £2,000 per kg for dried chives, if you buy brands such as Schwartz in some supermarkets,' she added.

'Herbs may seem something of a luxury purchase in the current cash-strapped climate, however fresh herbs can work out cheaper, though won't last as long, and there's savings to be made switching to the supermarket own version.'

It comes after The Mail on Sunday this week revealed a small jar of parsley costs £666 per kg.

The MoS focused on Tesco, the UK's biggest supermarket chain, to compare prices that shoppers were charged within one supermarket on one day, but it is a similar picture at other chains.

It found a small jar of dried flat parsley, made by Schwartz, cost £2 for 3g - or £666.67 per kg.

That is more than five times the cost of Lemberg's Pink Salmon Caviar, which costs £129 per kg, yet the very common dried herb can be bought from UK wholesalers for only £7 per kg.

And Pukka's Organic Night Time Chamomile & Lavender tea - largely made from chamomile flowers - cost £4.75 for 20 bags, or £237.50 per kg. But a kilogram of fresh summer truffles from premium dealer Laumont costs £158.