LONDON: Pascal Aussignac, a Michelin-starred French chef based in this city, had been counting on delivering Christmas dinners to recoup his restaurants’ losses after a year blighted by the pandemic.

Then everything fell apart in the space of just a few days. “I’ve got 50 capons and ducks stuck in France; they’ll never arrive in time for Christmas dinner because we should have stuffed them (already),” he told AFP.