Jamie Oliver warns followers to be alert to 'trucks of very fancy cheese' being sold by the 'wrong people'

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has asked his followers to be alert to ‘truckloads of very fancy cheese’ being sold ‘for cheap’ after a retailer had more than 22 tonnes of product stolen by scammers.

Neal’s Yard Dairy, which sells and distributes British artisan cheese, was duped by a “fraudulent buyer posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor for a major French retailer”.

More than 950 wheels from Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork Cheddar – said to have been worth around £300,000 – were delivered before the fraud was discovered.

‘A major cheese theft has taken place’ Olivier told his 10.5 million Instagram followers.

“Some of the best cheddar cheese in the world has been stolen.”

Calling it a “real shame,” he said, “if anyone hears about expensive cheese being sold cheaply, it’s probably the wrong stuff.

“So when someone hears about trucks full of fancy cheese, I mean, I don’t really know what they’re going to do with it.

“Are they going to peel it off the cloth, cut it, grate it and throw it away in the fast food industry, in the commercial industry? I don’t know – it feels really weird to steal.”

The amount stolen is equivalent to the entire annual production of Hafod cheese, “potentially leaving a significant gap in the artisanal cheese market,” Oliver said.

Neal’s Yard has pledged to continue to pay all three artisan cheesemakers in full.

“Remember, if the deal seems too golden to be true, it probably is! Let’s find these cheese stealers,” Oliver concluded in his Instagram caption.

Tom Calver, from Westcombe Dairy, shared a video on Instagram showing the inside of the dairy, pointing to the empty shelves behind him to show how much cheese had been stolen.

“I actually feel a little weird about it,” he said. ‘Of all the stuff you can steal. Cheddar. It almost feels like an honor that it has such value.’

Trethowan Brothers, which makes Pitchfork Cheddar, praised Neal’s Yard for the way it handled the theft.

“The way they have handled this terrible situation has only increased our respect and admiration for them,” the Somerset cheesemakers wrote on Instagram.

“Their 30-year relationship with us and so many other manufacturers is a rare and shining example of trust and integrity – a true force for good in business, retailer-manufacturer relationships and in life. We are proud to They can deliver and call our friends.”