Cheapism / iStock / Neal’s Yard Dairy
The British artisanal cheese scene is in an uproar after 22 metric tons of award-winning cheddar worth approximately $390,000 disappeared from a reputable London-based distributor in what is now dubbed "The Grate Cheese Robbery."
The upscale distributor and cheesemaker Neal’s Yard Dairy announced in a statement last week, that they have been “the victim of a sophisticated fraud,” saying they delivered 950 wheels of cheddar to what they believed was a reputable French distributor.
The cheeses included the award-winning Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar, Westcombe Cheddar, and Pitchfork Cheddar, which are known for their rich flavors and are crafted using traditional methods. Each wheel was clothbound, weighing in at 10 to 24 kilograms (22 and 53 pounds), and is highly valued for its quality and aging process.
In early July, Neal’s Yard received an order from what seemed to be a legitimate French retailer. Thrilled at the prospect of a quintessential British cheese gracing French supermarket shelves, the company turned to a dairy farm in Wales and two other producers — Westcombe Dairy and Trethowan Brothers — to fill the order.
After the posh cheese shipment was sent in September, and payment was due in mid-October, Neal’s Yard discovered their buyer had vanished, along with the cheese. Realizing they had been scammed, Neal’s Yard immediately reported the incident to local and international law enforcement.
With 22 tons of cheddars gone, Neal’s Yard faces a tough road ahead to recover financially. They’ve kept their word to pay small-scale producers despite the hit, a commitment Neal’s Yard says is non-negotiable in supporting British cheese-making. But for now, the dairy and its fans are left fuming over what feels like a theft from the heart of British food culture.
British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver took to Instagram to rally his 11 million followers to be on the lookout for unusual cheddar deals.
“If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it’s probably some wrong’uns,” Oliver said in a video shared soon after the cheese heist hit the news.
“Remember, if the deal seems too gouda to be true, it probably is!” he wrote in the caption
Neal’s Yard Dairy echoed Oliver’s call, urging cheesemongers worldwide to stay vigilant, especially for wheels of clothbound cheddar with missing tags, which may indicate the stolen cheeses.
Cheese theft may sound odd, but this isn’t the first incident of dairy-based larceny. With the increasing market for gourmet cheeses and their high resale value, artisanal cheese has become a lucrative (and unexpected) target for black-market profiteers. In the case of Neal’s Yard, the thief specifically requested their top-of-the-line cheddar, making this a gourmet crime through and through.
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