The owners of Neal’s Yard Dairy have said they have had an “overwhelming” response after it emerged that more than 22 tonnes of cheddar had been stolen from the London cheese specialist.
The company delivered 950 wheels of cheddar – reported to be worth as much as £300,000 – to an alleged fraudster posing as a wholesale distributor for a major French retailer. The cheese is believed to have been spirited away to Russia or the Middle East, according to suppliers to the company who were caught up in the scam on 21 October.
While police in Britain have launched an investigation and are working with international authorities, members of the public and figures from the world of food rallied around the retailer.
The celebrity chef Jamie Oliver told his 10.5 million Instagram followers: “There has been a great cheese robbery. Some of the best cheddar cheese in the world has been stolen.”
Urging followers to keep an eye out, he added: “If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it’s probably some wrong’uns.”
Sarah Stewart, the owner of the cheese retailer, told the Times they had received messages of solidarity, offers of help and orders from new customers from around the world.
“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 said. “We’ve had producers that we buy from asking what can they do, can they offer extended terms and financial support, and trade customers saying ‘can we pay quicker and what can we do?’.”
Tom Calver, the director of a Somerset supplier who produced some of the stolen cheese, said he had been “hugely distressed” when he heard the news. Neal’s Yard still paid his company, Westcombe Dairy, and other producers so that they would not have to bear the cost “despite the significant financial blow”.
“Neal’s Yard have been fantastic. We are just trying to support them as much as possible by encouraging people to shop with them. It is a huge, very difficult loss,” said Calver, whose cheddar sells for £7 for 250g.
“What worries me is the trust element in things,” he added. “At the end of the day what we need to have is more trust in the food supply system rather than less of it.”
A Metropolitan police spokesperson said: “On Monday October 21, we received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark. Inquiries are ongoing into the circumstances. There has been no arrest.”
