Man arrested after £300k of cheese stolen from Neal's Yard

A 63-year-old man has been arrested following the theft of over 950 wheels of cheese from Neal’s Yard Dairy in London.

The London cheese specialist revealed this week it had fallen victim to theft, which had resulted in the loss of over 22 tonnes of clothbound Cheddar.

A fraudulent buyer “posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor” for a major French retailer had ordered over 950 wheels of Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork Cheddar, which were reportedly worth over £300,000.

Neal’s Yard Dairy said it paid all three artisan cheesemakers in full “despite the significant financial blow” to the business.

Chef Jamie Oliver was among those to share his support for the business and dubbed the incident the “grate cheese robbery”.

Writing on Instagram, Oliver said: “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…  As the world’s most consumed cheese type, [the] Cheddar’s theft affects Neal’s Yard Dairy’s exports to 20 countries.”

A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: “On Monday, 21 October police received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark.

“Investigating officers have since arrested a 63-year-old man on suspicion of fraud by false representation and handling stolen goods.

“The man was taken to a south London police station where he was questioned. He has since been bailed pending further enquiries. Enquiries remain ongoing.”

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