Victim of fraudster

London cheese merchant cheated out of 22 tons of cheddar

(Bild: AP)

A London cheese merchant claims to have been cheated out of a large quantity of cheddar. They were the victims of a theft in which more than 22 tons of cheddar went missing, according to the wholesaler and cheese manufacturer Neal's Yard Dairy.

TV chef and cookbook author Jamie Oliver jumped to the company's aid with a public appeal for help. "You think I'm joking now, but I'm not," Oliver said in an Instagram video (see below). "Some of the best cheddar cheese in the world has been stolen," said the 49-year-old. The cheese was worth around 300,000 pounds (around 360,000 euros).

The fraudster had posed as a wholesaler from a French food retailer, Neal's Yard Dairy said. More than 950 wheels of Hafod Welsh Organic Cheddar, Westcombe and Pitchfork Cheddar had been delivered before the fraud was discovered.

Police: No arrests so far
The London police are investigating the case. The theft of a large quantity of cheese was reported to them on Monday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed. No arrests have been made so far.

Despite the large financial loss, the British cheesemonger stated that they had honored their obligations to the small suppliers and paid the manufacturers. They are working with investigators to find the perpetrators.

Jamie Oliver asks for help online
The company appealed to retailers worldwide to get in touch if they are offered cheese that could have been stolen. Jamie Oliver also called on cheese lovers to be vigilant if they are offered large quantities of premium cheddar on the black market.

"I mean, I don't know what they really want to do with it," said Oliver, who is also known for his TV shows. Whether they wanted to grate the cheese now and get rid of it in the fast food industry? It was a pretty funny thing to steal 22 tons of cheese. Oliver referred to it as "the great cheese robbery".