An urgent hunt to find a gang of cheese fraudsters who stole £300,000 worth of premium cheddar from an iconic London dairy is underway.
In a sophisticated scam which has been dubbed ‘The Grate Cheese Robbery’, Neal’s Yard Dairy mistakenly sent 950 wheels to the fraudsters who were posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor.
The London-based cheese company say they have been ‘overwhelmed’ by messages of support, offers of financial support and cheese orders from as far as America and Germany after having more than 22 tonnes of the world’s best cheddar stolen.
Cheese lovers around the world have been left outraged by the calculated heist, with celebrity chef Jamie Oliver leading the fight to get justice for the dairy.
Describing the four-month scam as ‘The Grate Cheese Robbery’, he said: ‘In a shocking turn of events, Neal’s Yard Dairy has fallen victim to a brazen heist of epic proportions.’
Neal’s Yard Dairy mistakenly sent 950 wheels to the fraudsters who had posed as a legitimate wholesale distributor
Sarah Stewart (pictured), the cheese company’s owner, said they had been ‘overwhelmed’ by the support
Neal’s Yard Dairy said it has been ‘truly touched’ by the support following the elaborate scam.
The retailer’s owner, Sarah Stewart, told The Times: ‘Clearly British people love their cheese but we have had a lot of really incredible people getting in touch, it seems like it’s gone international.
She added: ‘Trade customers have been saying: “Can we pay quicker?” and “what can we do?”
‘We have three shops in London and a lot of our customers have come in really concerned and offering support, and then our e-commerce has seen an uplift in orders.
‘We are trying to look forward and take heart from the incredible support and the interest it’s generated and people emailing super nice messages. It’s overwhelming.’
Neal’s Yard Dairy said it had still paid Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork, the producers of the cheese, despite ‘the significant financial blow’.
The scam is said to have first started in July, when someone posed as a well-known European cheese distributor and inquired about 950 truckles – uncut wheels – of cheddar.
For the next few months, the scammer masked themselves as a distributor and appeared to display a high level of knowledge about the industry.
The Times reports that a contract was drawn up and the scammer arranged for a haulier to collect half of the order of cheese from Neal’s Yard Dairy’s Bermondsey warehouse in September.
Neal’s Yard Dairy said it had still paid Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork, the producers of the cheese, despite ‘the significant financial blow’
Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver slammed the alleged scammers on his Instagram story last week. He dubbed it ‘The Grate Cheese Robbery’
Jamie Oliver called for help to track down the fraudsters responsible for the cheese scam
The second half of the order was due to be delivered to a site in north London.
Fears started to grow when the dairy did not receive the payment within a week, which had been agreed. The buyer then stopped responding when Neal’s Yard Dairy attempted to make contact.
They then contacted the legitimate distributor who they believed had made the order and quickly realised they had been scammed.
The Metropolitan Police are currently investigating the theft but no arrests have been made so far.
Neal’s Yard Dairy has asked cheese lovers to contact them if they suspect they have received the stolen cheese, describing them as clothbound cheddars in a 10kg or 24kg format with the tags removed.
The cheese could be kept for up to 18 months if stored in the right temperature and conditions.
Chef Jamie Oliver has helped appeal for more information by sharing the scam to his 10.5million Instagram followers.
‘There has been a great cheese robbery,’ he said. ‘Some of the best cheddar cheese in the world has been stolen.’
He described it as a ‘real shame’, adding: ‘If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it’s probably some wrong’uns.
‘So if anyone hears anything about lorryloads of posh cheese, I mean I don’t know what they are going to do with it, really.
‘Are they going to unpeel it from the cloth, and cut it and grate it and get rid of it in the fast food industry, in the commercial industry? I don’t know – it feels like a really weird thing to nick.’
In a statement posted on its Instagram page on Sunday, Neal’s Yard Dairy said: ‘To everyone who has rallied to support us in the last few days – thank you.
‘Since sharing the news of our theft, we have received an overwhelming number of calls, messages and visits. We are truly touched that so many people in the artisan cheese community and beyond are standing with us. It’s a reminder of why we love the work we do.
‘Many of you have asked how you can help. To that, we say: continue to support British and Irish cheese. Hafod, Pitchfork and Westcombe are special examples of farmhouse cheddar. Eat them. Celebrate them.
‘We will be here, championing British and Irish cheese, for a long time to come.’
A spokesman for The Met said: ‘On Monday, October 21, we received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark.
‘Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances.’
