The great cheese robbery - 18th November 2024

'22 tonnes of cheese has been stolen from Neal's Yard Dairy in London,' sounds like the plot of a Hollywood movie. However, 950 cheeses valued at £300,000 were taken in a coordinated deception.

The speciality cheddars, Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork, were made by three traditional producers. John Farrand of the Guild of Fine Food, which organises the World Cheese Awards, called the cheeses "the Canalettos or the Stradivarius of the cheese world."

But how did the thieves manage to make off with such unusual treasure. Well, Neal's Yard's managing director, Sarah Stewart, received an email which was supposedly from an established and trustworthy distributor from the European cheese industry. In it, the thieves claimed they were sourcing cheddar for a French supermarket chain.

Over the coming months, the con artists developed a business relationship with Stewart, which resulted in Neal's Yard sending 950 rounds of artisan cheddar cheese to a London warehouse. When the bill went unpaid, Stewart contacted the distributor and learned of her mistake.

Demand for English cheese is on the rise internationally, and there's particular interest in artisan produce made by small, specialist cheesemakers. This theft is thought to be for a foreign client, who might be based in Russia or the Middle East.

However, getting the shipment across borders could prove difficult as these cheeses are made from raw milk. They require special handling, need to be kept in chilled conditions, and only have a shelf life of a few months. Some experts fear that if the cheese cannot be smuggled abroad quickly enough, it may be discarded or sold off cheap to fast food outlets.

Although Neal's Yard never received payment itself, it's settled the bill with its cheese producers, who wouldn't have survived the massive economic loss from the theft.