Three small boxes of spinach and ricotta cannelloni destined for a supermarket in Gibraltar languish on an EU inspector’s bench at the Eurotunnel terminal in Calais.

They have been removed from a truck laden with perishables for British food lovers on the Rock – Morrisons steak and ale pie, family-size blocks of Morrisons cheddar cheese, ‘M’ Best coleslaw from Avondale foods in Craigavon in Northern Ireland and long-life milk.