Stolen cheese might be sold abroad - supplier

The supplier of Hafod cheddar - produced near Lampeter, western Wales - said the theft should be a "wake-up call"

Cheddar stolen from London cheese specialist Neal’s Yard Dairy may have been shipped abroad to be sold on, a supplier has told the BBC.

Truckles of Patrick Holden's Hafod Welsh Cheddar were among the £300,000 worth of produce stolen in a scam on 21 October.

Mr Holden said he believed the con was "sophisticated" and the cheese could have been taken to Russia or the Middle East.

The Met Police is investigating and Neal's Yard Dairy said it was working with "international authorities" to identify the scammers.

Hafod cheddar supplier Patrick Holden believes good quality cheese is a "stealable" commodity

The high-value, award-winning cheeses, which also include Westcombe and Pitchfork, are sold for as much as £45 per kg.

The fraudsters posed as an agent of a French supermarket in order to receive the 22 tonnes of clothbound cheeses from the Southwark-based company without paying for it, Mr Holden said.

"The robbers asked Neal's Yard to dispatch it to another warehouse in or around London, from which it was then collected by these nefarious people and then it disappeared, so they cleverly covered their tracks."

"They have already claimed £300,000, these criminals, and if they sell the cheese they’ll get more again", Mr Holden said.

Confirming that the cheese had already been removed from the warehouse, Mr Holden said: "I think they're hoping to sell it in the Middle East or Russia, that's my guess.

"Because people won't ask questions there. I think if they tried to sell it closer to home they'd find it difficult because the international artisan community is very connected," Mr Holden said.

"If they tried to sell it in North America, where we sell a lot of Hafod, or even Australia believe it or not, the balloon would go up because people would ask questions."

Neal’s Yard Dairy says it has honoured its commitment to its small-scale suppliers

Mr Holden, who runs a dairy farm in western Wales, said he and Neal's Yard had been "excited" to receive such a large order and the theft had been a "violation".

"That made it all the more shocking really, that this could happen to a product that is hallmarked with openness and trust and transparency all the way down from the producer to the final customer," he said.

Neal's Yard Dairy has honoured it payment to suppliers despite the theft.

On Monday, the firm thanked those who had "rallied" to support the business since the news of the theft and said it had received "an overwhelming number of calls, messages, and visits".

It said: "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."

Posting on social media, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver called for people to keep an eye out for "lorryloads of posh cheese" being sold "for cheap".

Oliver told his Instagram followers: "There has been a great cheese robbery. 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."

Jamie Oliver told his Instagram followers "it feels like a really weird thing to nick"

Mr Holden said though it was a "sad story", he did not think the cheese industry would change how it operates.

He added that he hoped it would serve as a "wake-up call" about food production.

He said: "Don’t we want more trusted and transparent ways to get out food from the people who produce it?

"I think that is what’s disappeared in our modern food systems, we need to know more about the story behind our food… that should be our right."

The Met Police has confirmed it is investigating "the theft of a large quantity of cheese".