Following a grate cheese heist a Ceredigion farm has started ‘rationing cheese’ due to increased sales.
The theft of £300,000 worth of award-winning cheese shocked the nation this October.
One of the three farms who was a victim of the scandal was Holden Farm Dairy near Lampeter, who lost 2.5 tons of cloth-wrapped Hafod cheddar.
The thieves may have inadvertently been good for business, after Patrick Holden, owner of the farm, admitted sales had increased, meaning they’ve been forced to conserve cheese numbers over Christmas.
Speaking at the time, Mr Holden said: “It’s a tremendous shock but also a wake-up call - how many of us think deeply about where our food comes from and how it’s produced?
“We should be more loyal in supporting sustainable farmers, who are less likely to make money than those farming produce in an environmentally damaging way.”
Speaking this month, he added: “[Since the theft] there has been enormous demand for our cheese - we’re going to have to start rationing it.
“It’s annoying that we haven’t got more [due to the theft] but it’s certainly raised our profile as we’ve been very busy.”
Mr Holden suspects the cheese, stolen from a holding warehouse, will have been sold on the black market in Europe.
Fraudsters posing as French wholesalers stole 950 cheddars from Neal’s Yard Dairy, a London artisanal cheese retailer, who are now working with UK and international law enforcement to try to uncover the thieves.
Neal’s Yard reported the theft on 21 October and paid all the cheese makers, meaning that only Neal’s Yard are out of pocket.
The Metropolitan Police made one arrest later in October, taking a 63-year-old man in for questioning.
He was bailed pending further inquiries and the investigation is still ongoing.
Mr Holden said: “More interestingly [than their increased sales] - I think this has awoken people’s interest in the story behind their food.
“The cheese stolen has a story behind it which adds value to it.
“If a lot of people knew the story behind the food they bought, they probably wouldn’t buy it.”
The Metropolitan Police said there were no further updates.