The great British cheese heist: Who stole $390,000 of cheddar?
Al Jazeera
Some of the ‘best cheddar cheese in the world’ has been stolen from a distributor in London – but who dunnit and how?
When art and scams come together, it’s usually paintings and sculptures that make the news. However, in a strange turn of events, Neal’s Yard Dairy, a distributor and retailer of British cheese based in London’s Borough Market has been defrauded of 300,000 pounds ($389,000) worth of award-winning, cloth-bound artisan cheese.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: “On Monday, 21 October, we received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark. Enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances.”
Some of the cheese stolen has received numerous awards, including Westcombe cheddar, Hafod Welsh organic cheddar and Pitchfork cheddar, which are sold for as much as 45 pounds ($58) per kilogramme (2.2lb).
According to a statement from Neal’s Yard Dairy, “The high monetary value of these cheeses likely made them a particular target for the thieves.”
“The company is now taking steps to ensure both its financial stability and the continued development of the British artisan cheese sector.”