Jamie Oliver told his Instagram followers to look for large quantities of premium cheddar on the black market: “If the deal seems too good to be true, it probably is!”

Thefts of high-end art and jewelry are often in the news, but an artisan cheddar heist?

Leading British cheese company Neal’s Yard Dairy revealed that nearly $400,000 in artisanal cheddar was stolen in a sophisticated scam being dubbed the “Grilled Cheese Heist.”

“We have some difficult news to share,” the beleaguered company wrote in a message Instagram post five days ago.

The British and Irish cheese purveyor was the victim of a theft that resulted in the loss of “over 22 tonnes of cloth-bound cheddar”, the post claimed.

“A fraudulent buyer posing as a legitimate wholesale distributor for a large French retailer” allegedly stole the cheese, according to the post.

“Over 950 wheels of Cheddar Hafod, Westcombe and Pitchfork were delivered before the fraud was discovered,” the post said.

Famous chef Jamie Oliver posted on Instagram denouncing the theft and urging his 10.5 million followers to be on the lookout for “a truckload of fancy cheese”, he says it’s worth £300,000 or $390,000.

According to Oliver’s post, “The Big Cheese Con Thieves” posed as a wholesale supplier to a French supermarket and “fooled the London warehouse staff at Neal’s Yard Dairy”.

“Precious cargo of valuable artisanal Cheddar was sent in good faith, only to disappear without a trace,” Oliver wrote.

Neal’s Yard Dairy said it received the order for the cheese in July, The New York Times reports.

The company contacted three dairy farms to honor the order because it was so massive, it was fitting The New York Times.

In September, Neal’s Yard Dairy held up its end of the bargain by sending the cheese to the supplier, who was supposed to pay for it by Oct. 7, said David Lockwood, one of the company’s partners. The New York Times.

When the payment due date came and went without a word from the supplier, Neal’s Yard Dairy tried to contact the supplier, who “became uncontactable,” Lockwood said. The New York Times.

The company notified London police on October 21, who are investigating.

Neal’s Yard Dairy has made sure to pay the dairy farmers and cheese makers for the stolen cheese, even though Oliver says it will take them years to recoup the loss.

“Despite the significant financial hit, we honored our commitment to our small suppliers and paid all three artisan cheesemakers in full,” the company said in the post.

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The amount stolen is equal to the entire annual production of Hafod cheese, potentially creating a significant gap in the artisanal cheese market.

The company is working with law enforcement to identify the cheese thieves.

“In the meantime, we’d like to put out a call to everyone in our esteemed community of cheese mongers around the world,” he wrote in the post.

“If anyone is offered or receives any cheeses that they believe may have been associated with this theft, particularly 10kg or 24kg cloth bound Cheddars with the labels detached, please contact [email protected]. uk to assist the police in their investigation. .”

As the police continue to hunt down the stolen cheese, Lockwood is in disbelief that it actually happened.

“It would make a great action comedy,” he said The New York Times. “Maybe we can sell the rights and get some of the money back.”