Fraudsters posing as legitimate wholesalers received the 22 tonnes of cheeses bound in cloth from the Southwark company before they realized they were a bogus company.

The high-value, award-winning cheeses, which also include Westcombe and Pitchfork, sell for up to £45 per kg.

At the time the order was placed, Neal’s Yard believed it came from an agent of a French supermarket, Holden told Radio 4’s Today programme.

But after it was delivered to a warehouse on the outskirts of London, the bill went unpaid.

Mr Holden, who runs a dairy farm in west Wales, said he and Neal’s Yard were “delighted” to receive such a large order and that the theft was a “breach”.

“That made it all the more shocking that this could happen to a product that is marked by openness, trust and transparency, from the manufacturer to the end customer.”