‘THE GRATE CHEESE ROBBERY!’ Cheese Worth 25 Crore Stolen in a Scam from Famous London Dairy

In a shocking turn of events, thieves posed as wholesale distributors for a prestigious French retailer to execute a complex scam, defrauding London’s Neal’s Yard Dairy of a staggering 22 tonnes of artisanal cheddar. The high-end dairy distributor, which exports to over 20 countries, lost 950 wheels of premium cheddar valued at £300,000, which is worth Rs. 25 Crore (approx), before realizing they had been duped.

Neal’s Yard Dairy, a renowned name with a 45-year legacy of supporting British cheesemakers, has pledged to bear the financial loss and has compensated its affected small-scale suppliers—Hafod, Westcombe, and Pitchfork farms. This decision demonstrates the company’s deep commitment to its partners, despite the significant blow to its finances.

The incident was reported to the Metropolitan Police on October 21. In an official statement, the police confirmed that "enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances," but noted that no arrests have been made so far.

Celebrity Chef Jamie Oliver Reacted to the Theft

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, known for his advocacy of quality ingredients, raised public awareness about the theft on Instagram, stating:

"THE GRATE CHEESE ROBBERY!CHEDDAR HEIST LEAVES @nealsyarddairy DEVASTATED
In a shocking turn of events, Neal’s Yard Dairy has fallen victim to a brazen heist of epic proportions. A staggering 22 tonnes of premium Cheddar, worth £300,000, have vanished, leaving the cheese world reeling.” 

He said, “The Big Cheese Con Thieves, posing as a wholesale supplier to a French retailer, duped Neal’s Yard Dairy’s London warehouse staff. The precious cargo of valuable artisanal Cheddar was sent out in good faith, only to disappear without a trace”.

“The Missing Wheels

The vanished cheeses include Hafod from West Wales @hafodcheese , and Westcombe @westcombe and Pitchfork Cheddars @trethowanbrothers from Somerset. The amount stolen equals the entire annual production of Hafod cheese, potentially creating a significant gap in the artisanal cheese market,” Jamie Oliver wrote in his post.