In northern Europe, before significant quantities of food were imported, April, May and June were known as “the hungry months”. Stockpiles from the previous year had run out and few of the new season’s crops were ready for harvesting. I wonder if Theresa May thought of that when she triggered Article 50 so that Britain would leave the EU, possibly without a deal, on 29 March.
Our ancestors could make do with a few mashed-up potatoes and carrots. Our requirements are more wide-ranging. Some worried Brits, it is reported, are hoarding olives, coconut milk, pasta, chickpeas and Mars bars. Some papers have suggested that, with imported purification chemicals delayed, water supplies may be cut off. And being British, we are particularly concerned about toilet rolls – which, in my local shops, already seem in short supply – and pet food.
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