Jamie Oliver has urged people to look out for “fancy cheese trucks” being sold “on the cheap” after hundreds of truckloads of cheddar worth more than £300,000 were stolen from Neal’s Yard Dairy.

The London-based cheese specialist said he delivered more than 950 wheels of cheddar – more than 22 tonnes – to the fraudsters before realizing he had been duped.

Neal’s Yard said it still paid producers so individual dairies would not incur costs and was now trying to cope with the financial failure.

In a post on Instagram, Jamie Oliver wrote: “If anyone hears about fancy cheese going cheap, it’s probably a bug.”

What we know

Neal’s Yard confirmed it delivered 950 wheels of cheddar to the alleged fraudster posing as a wholesale distributor for a major French retailer before realizing what had happened.

The wheels included three artisan cheddars including Hafod Welsh, Westcombe and Pitchfork.

The cheese specialist also confirmed it had continued to pay producers so they would not have to bear the cost “despite the significant financial hit”.

They are also working with the police to identify the culprits.

The Metropolitan Police said in a statement: “On Monday 21st October we received a report of the theft of a large quantity of cheese from a manufacturer based in Southwark. Inquiries are ongoing into the circumstances.”

No arrests have yet been made in connection with the alleged theft.

Neal’s Yard has also urged cheesemongers worldwide to contact them if they suspect the stolen cheese has been sold, particularly cloth-bound cheddars in 10kg or 24kg formats with the labels detached.

What we don’t know

Full details of the theft have not been fully released, but one report suggested the “unusually large” order was placed over the phone by a man claiming to be a legitimate buyer.

According to the Sunday Times, Neal’s Yard director and co-owner Sarah Stewart said they asked industry colleagues about the buyer and received good feedback, along with a contract that contained “very compelling information”.

We also don’t know who is behind the theft. Some reports suggest the theft may have been initiated by criminals looking to smuggle the cheese into Russia, as the luxury food is hard to come by as Moscow has banned imports in response to EU sanctions.

Another unknown is where the stolen cheese will end up and how those who took it plan to get rid of it.

In his Instagram post, Jamie Oliver questioned what would be done with the cheese, asking: “They want to peel it off the cloth, cut it and grate it and get rid of it in the fast food industry, in the commercial I don’t know – it seems really strange to me.

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