Article 50’s been triggered and it took fewer than 24 hours for the first City stalwart to make its move. Lloyd's of London on Thursday confirmed that it will be setting up a base in Brussels to retain crucial licensing rights post-split, and some jobs will inevitably be shifted.

Others are likely to follow suit.

The chief executive of Goldman Sachs’ Europe business last week confirmed that job moves to the continent are a certainty – even though local hires would be made too – and many of the City’s and Canary Wharf’s biggest tenants have hinted at similar plans.

For bankers and their families, moving abroad can be a thrilling step into the unknown, especially if last year’s bonus had adequate zeros, and if a hop across the Channel might help to squeeze out a few more.

Corporate relocation services must already be scouting the Continent’s contending cities to assemble portfolios of penthouses with just the right lick of Farrow & Ball’s Elephant’s Breath, replete with walk-in wardrobes and open plan kitchens, marble-topped islands and SMEG fridges.

Life will not be tough.

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Show all 8 1 /8 How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Weetabix Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nation’s favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms. Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Nescafé The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafé Original at Sainsbury’s has gone up 40p from £2.75 to £3.15 – a 14 per cent rise—since the Brexit vote. PA How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Freddo When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (£450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make. Cadbury How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Mr Kipling cakes Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Walkers Crisps Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p. Getty How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Marmite Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterling’s slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons’ customers £2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent. Rex How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Toblerone Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months. Pixabay How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Maltesers Maltesers, billed as the “lighter way to enjoy chocolate”, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. iStockphoto

The lake of Zurich, against an Alpine backdrop, doesn’t exactly challenge the view you had over Moorgate’s sprawling construction sites and the roof of the number 23 bus.

And quaffing Riesling in the Rheingau on any given weekend obviously offers an edge over having to turn around halfway to Chapel Down on account of the gridlocked bank holiday traffic.

But what happens a few months later, when the novelty’s worn off and you wake up to find your stash of PG Tips run dry, your neighbour at the door complaining in foreign tongues about you hanging out your washing on a Sunday or taking a shower after 10pm, and your partner depressed by the dearth of expat job prospects?

It could happen. And, in fact, it has.

In 2010, hedge fund Brevan Howard’s British born co-founder Alan Howard quit London to set up shop in Geneva. He took many of his most senior staff with him. But the prospect of punctual trains, top-notch chocolate and impromptu ski trips (on those admittedly rare days off) seemingly failed to win the Londoners over and within a few years many had returned to the City. The commonest reasons? Boredom and homesickness.

I’ve lived in both Frankfurt and Geneva and despite holding a Swiss passport and speaking German, the allure of London – that certain British je ne sais quoi – persevered. I didn’t even need a partner or family to persuade me.

Friends of mine who have lived in Brussels have lasted a few years before boomeranging, and although I could certainly imagine moving back to the Continent and even settling down there, I struggle to believe that a several hundred-strong community of bankers will readily give up their life of lunches at the Ivy, evenings at Annabel’s and weekends at the Hurlingham Club for an understated European existence.

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I recently read Jill Alexander Essbaum’s Hausfrau, or “housewife”, a novel set in the suburbs of Zurich about an American woman married to a Swiss banker with three young children.

If you can get over the fact that the book was described by one German paper as “Madame Bovary meets Fifty Shades of Grey”, you might be able to appreciate it as a chilling – and rather compelling – account of the loneliness and exclusion that can haunt those plucked out of their familiar environments and thrown into a city known for being coldly bureaucratic and not exactly a picture of cosmopolitanism.

While the Swiss-born banker thrives, his introverted wife’s paralysing loneliness drives her to addiction, infidelity and a life consumed by guilt.

I think that living abroad can be a fabulous experience, enriching and mind-opening. It can foster new friendships and hobbies, and teach you languages and skills.