Every year, at the end of August, Henri orders four tonnes of onions from his producer and packs his suitcase. In early September, he heads for England on the passenger seat of a lorry with 160 25-kilo bags of onions in the back as well as 18 bottles of a table wine called Prince Henri (it’s too expensive to buy in England). He rents a room and a garage for £50 a week and stays there until he’s sold every single onion. The Frenchman has never considered visiting London or going to the beach; he is here to sell onions.