LAUREN FRAYER, HOST:
Here in London, thieves have decided there's a lot of cheddar in artisan cheese. Let me explain. According to reports in the British press, scammers posing as cheese distributors have allegedly swindled Neal's Yard Dairy out of nearly 1,000 wheels of cloth-bound, English and Welsh aged cheeses. The cheese came from three producers and is worth an estimated $390,000. The cheesemakers have already been paid, so Neal's Yard is shouldering the loss. Tom Calver of Westcombe, traditional cheesemakers in Somerset, says his wheels were part of the fraudulent order. He expressed his dismay and befuddlement on Instagram.
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TOM CALVER: It's so weird. I mean, out of all the stuff to steal, you know, cheddar - like, our cheddar - it's almost like - it feels like a bit of an honor, really, the way that it's got such value.
FRAYER: Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver would like to know what the thieves plan to do with all of that cheese.
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JAMIE OLIVER: So if anyone hears anything about lorry-loads of very posh cheese - I mean, I don't know what they're going to do with it, really. I mean, are they going to, like, grate it and get rid of it in the commercial industry? I don't know. I mean, it seems like a really weird thing to nick.
FRAYER: Indeed, waiting around to unload tons of aged cheese could raise a bit of a stink.
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