The cheese thieves - 18th November 2024

Thieves have stolen 22 tonnes of cheese from Neal's Yard Dairy in London. The story could be from a Hollywood movie. The 950 stolen cheeses, which are worth £300,000, were made for Neal's Yard by expert cheesemakers.

In July, the thieves contacted Sarah Stewart, who's the director of Neal's Yard. Their email looked like it came from a well-known European cheese distributor. It said that they were looking for cheddar cheese for a French supermarket.

After that, the thieves got Stewart to trust them. Neal's Yard delivered 950 cheeses to the thieves. But the bill was never paid.

English cheese, especially cheese from small producers, is increasing in popularity around the world. These small producers are experts at cheesemaking. So some think that the thieves are supplying an international client. They could be in Russia or the Middle East.

If this is the case, the thieves will have to hurry. These cheeses are made from raw milk, so they could go off quickly. If the thieves don't keep them very cool, they will have to be thrown away.

A big theft would put small cheese producers out of business, so Neal's Yard has agreed to pay their suppliers.