In an elaborate scheme, robbers posing as wholesale distributors for a major French retailer deceived London’s Neal’s Yard Dairy, making off with 22 tonnes of luxury cheddar worth over £300,000. The theft involved more than 950 wheels of premium English and Welsh cheddar, causing a major financial setback for the dairy and rippling through the cheese industry. Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has since rallied cheese lovers to assist the police in catching the scammers.
He described the incident on Instagram as a “brazen heist of shocking proportions” and urged followers to report any “lorryloads of very posh cheese” being offered cheaply. The heist targeted Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Southwark warehouse, where thieves posed as legitimate suppliers for a prominent French retailer. Convinced by the fraudsters, dairy staff unknowingly handed over the valuable cargo.
Authorities were alerted only after the cheddar disappeared. The Metropolitan Police confirmed they received a report of the theft on October 21 and have since launched an investigation. The stolen cheeses, including Hafod Welsh organic cheddar, Westcombe cheddar, and Pitchfork cheddar, are among the UK’s most sought-after artisan cheeses, each typically selling for £7.
15 to £12.90 per 250-300g piece. Neal’s Yard Dairy has continued paying the small-scale producers to shield them from financial loss.
The dairy is working with the police to trace the cheese and calls on cheesemongers worldwide to report su.