Assembling a better British relationship with Europe

Greg Vaitsas wanted to introduce his neighbours to fine Greek foods. For the first decade, the delicatessen he opened in east London with Paulina, his girlfriend, motored along. But in November he gave the keys back to the landlord. Brexit had brought hefty customs charges and bundles of paperwork; overnight the stream of small consignments of wines, oils, meats and cheeses they sourced from tiny island producers was throttled. Better to shut up shop, Mr Vaitsas thought, than to rely on wholesalers that supplied the same big brands to all the other stores. “We did not allow it to degenerate into something that wasn’t our dream.”