Cheddar stolen from London cheese specialist Neal’s Yard Dairy may have been shipped abroad to be sold on, a supplier has told the BBC.

Truckles of Patrick Holden’s Hafod Welsh Cheddar were among the £300,000 worth of produce stolen in a recent scam.

Mr Holden said he believed the con was “sophisticated” and the cheese could have been taken to Russia or the Middle East.

“They have already claimed £300,000, these criminals, and if they sell the cheese they’ll get more again”, Mr Holden said.

Fraudsters posing as legitimate wholesalers received the 22 tonnes of clothbound cheeses from the Southwark-based business before it was realised they were a fake firm.

The high-worth, award-winning cheeses, which also include Westcombe and Pitchfork, are sold for as much as £45 per kg.

At the period the order was made, Neal’s Yard believed it had arrive from an agent for a French supermarket, Mr Holden told Radio 4’s Today programme.

But after it was delivered to a warehouse on the outskirts of London, the invoice was not paid.

Confirming that the cheese had already been removed from the warehouse, Mr Holden told the programme: “It’s been speculated that it’s gone to Russia or the Middle East or somewhere like that. We just don’t recognize.”

Mr Holden, who runs a dairy farm in western Wales, said he and Neal’s Yard had been “enthusiastic” to receive such a large order and the theft had been a “violation”.

“That made it all the more shocking really, that this could happen to a product that is hallmarked with openness and depend and transparency all the way down from the producer to the final customer,” he said.

On Monday Neal’s Yard Dairy thanked those who had “rallied” to back the business since the information of the theft and said it had received “an overwhelming number of calls, messages, and visits”.

It said: “We are truly touched that so many people in the artisan cheese throng and beyond are standing with us. It’s a reminder of why we adore the work we do.”

Posting on social media, celebrity chef Jamie Oliver called for people to keep an eye out for “lorryloads of posh cheese” being sold “for cheap”.

Oliver told his Instagram followers: “There has been a great cheese robbery. Some of the best cheddar cheese in the globe has been stolen.”

He described it as a “real shame”, adding: “If anyone hears anything about posh cheese going for cheap, it’s probably some incorrect’uns.”

Mr Holden said though it was a “unhappy narrative”, he did not ponder the cheese industry would transformation how it operates.

He added that he hoped it would serve as a “wake-up call” about food production.

He said: “Don’t we desire more trusted and transparent ways to get out food from the people who produce it?

“I ponder that is what’s disappeared in our modern food systems, we require to recognize more about the narrative behind our food… that should be our correct.”

The Met Police has confirmed it is investigating “the theft of a large amount of cheese”.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio London on Sounds and pursue BBC London on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your narrative ideas to [email protected]