Say cheese for a mugshot?
An arrest has been made in connection to the stunning theft of 950 wheels of cheddar that shocked the British artisanal cheese community, according to a report.
Police in London busted a 63-year-old man in connection to the unsavory heist — which saw cheesemonger Neal’s Yard Dairy bamboozled out of 48,000 pounds of artisanal cheddar worth more than $389,000.
“The man was taken to a south London police station where he was questioned. He has since been bailed pending further enquiries,” a police spokesperson said, according to NPR.
Police did not provide any further details or information about the man they arrested in connection to the crime that has been dubbed by some as “the grate cheese robbery.”
London-based mongers Neal’s Yard Dairy announced last month that they were duped into handing over hundreds of wheels of Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork cheddar to a man who pretended to be a representative for a French retailer.
Ben Ticehurst, head cheese maker at Trethowan Brothers dairy, which lost over 26,000 pounds of cheese to the theft, expressed his own perplexity with the act.
“We, like the rest of the world, were left wondering, who wants that much cheese? If you’re not a supermarket, what do you do with 22 tonnes of cheese? It’s really puzzling for us, and so hopefully the arrest will bring answers,” Ticehurst said, according to The Guardian.
Some have floated theories about the potential plans of the pilferers.
Patrick Holden, who made the Hafod Welsh cheddar that was taken as part of the cheesy plot, told the BBC, “I think they’re hoping to sell it in 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’d find it difficult because the international artisan community is very connected,” Holden added to the outlet.
Neal’s Yard Dairy reimbursed their cheesemakers for their portion of the stolen products — an act which was celebrated by the artisan community.
“I was really concerned about what it was and the implications of it. Neal’s Yard have been fantastic,” Tom Calver, director of Westcombe Dairy, said, according to The Guardian. “We are just trying to support them as much as possible by encouraging people to shop with them. It is a huge, very difficult loss.”
Neal’s Yard shared an update last week, saying they were overwhelmed by outreaches of support.
“Since sharing the news of our theft,” the mongers wrote in an Instagram post, “We have received an overwhelming number of calls, messages, and visits. We are truly touched that so many people in the artisan cheese community and beyond are standing with us. It’s a reminder of why we love the work we do.”
They continued, “Many of you have asked how you can help. To that, 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 artisanal cheese makers, mongers, and lovers are being asked to keep a keen eye out for clothbound raw milk cheddar that is being sold below market value.
