Say cheese for a photo?
An arrest has been made in connection with the stunning theft of 950 wheels of cheddar which shocked Britain’s artisan cheese community, according to a report.
London police have arrested a 63-year-old man in connection with the unsavory heist – which saw cheesemaker Neal’s Yard Dairy make off with 48,000 pounds of artisan cheddar worth more than $389,000.
“The man was taken to a south London police station where he was questioned. He has since been released on bail pending further investigations,” a police spokesperson said, according to NPR.
Police have not provided any further details or information about the man they arrested in connection with the crime which has been dubbed by some as “the rack cheese theft.”
London merchants Neal’s Yard Dairy announced last month that they had been duped into handing over hundreds of wheels of Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork cheddar to a man who claimed to be a representative of a French retailer.
Ben Ticehurst, head cheesemaker at Trethowan Brothers Dairy, who lost more than 26,000 pounds of cheese to the theft, expressed his own bemusement at the act.
“Like the rest of the world, we were wondering: who wants so much cheese? If you’re not a supermarket, what do you do with 22 tonnes of cheese? It’s really confusing for us, and so I hope the arrest provides some answers,” Ticehurst said, according to The Guardian.
Some have theorized about the thieves’ potential plans.
Patrick Holden, who made the Hafod Welsh cheddar which was caught up in the cheese plot, told the BBC: “I think they’re hoping to sell it to the Middle East or Russia, that’s my guess . »
“Because people won’t ask questions there. I think if they tried to sell it closer to home, they would struggle because the international craft community is very connected,” Holden added to the outlet.
Neal’s Yard Dairy reimbursed its cheesemakers for their share of the stolen products – an act that was celebrated by the artisan community.
“I was really concerned about what it was and what the implications were. Neal’s Yard has been fantastic,” said Tom Calver, manager of Westcombe Dairy, according to The Guardian. “We just try to support them as much as possible by encouraging people to shop with them. This is a huge loss and very difficult.
Neal’s Yard shared an update last week, saying they were overwhelmed with requests for support.
“Since we announced our flight,” the merchants wrote in an Instagram post, “we have received an overwhelming number of calls, messages and visits. We are truly humbled that so many people in the artisan cheese community and beyond are standing with us. It reminds us why we love the work we do.
They continued: “Many of you have asked how you can help. To this we say: continue to support British and Irish cheese… We will be here, championing British and Irish cheese, for a long time to come.
The community of artisan cheesemakers, merchants and enthusiasts is encouraged to keep a close eye on cloth-bound raw milk cheddar that is being sold for less than its market value.
