A 63-year-old man has been arrested in connection to the daring theft of 950 wheels of premium cheddar, which shocked London’s artisanal cheese community. The cheese, worth over £48,000, was stolen from Neal’s Yard Dairy, a well-known cheesemonger in the capital. The stolen haul included rare varieties such as Hafod, Westcombe, and Pitchfork cheddar, and was taken by a man posing as a representative of a French retailer.
Police apprehended the suspect in south London, and though he has been bailed pending further investigation, details surrounding the theft remain unclear. The crime, dubbed “the grate cheese robbery” by some, has left many perplexed by the scale of the heist. “Who wants that much cheese?” said Ben Ticehurst, head cheesemaker at Trethowan Brothers Dairy, which lost over £26,000 worth of cheese in the theft.
Experts have speculated that the stolen cheese could be sold in markets abroad, with some suggesting potential buyers in the Middle East or Russia, where questions about provenance may be less stringent.
In the wake of the theft, Neal’s Yard Dairy has reimbursed affected cheesemakers, a gesture praised by the artisan community. “Neal’s Yard have been fantastic,” said Tom Calver of Westcombe Dairy, one of the cheesemakers hit by the robbery.
As the investigation continues, the artisan cheese community has urged locals to report any suspicious sales of discounted raw milk cheddar.
