Cheddargate! Is stolen £800 cheese bound for France?

TWO prize-winning cheddar cheeses have been stolen from a country fair – and their maker thinks they could end up on the black market in France.

The two 44lb blocks, with a retail value of £800, were named best in show at the Yeovil Show in Somerset on Saturday.

But when Rich Clothier, the managing director of Wyke Farms in Bruton, turned up to collect them on Sunday they had vanished without trace.

Mr Clothier believes the cheddars, which are highly popular in France, were stolen by professionals who intend to sell them on the black market.

‘We export our cheeses to 160 countries and we are very popular in France,’ he told the Daily Mail yesterday.

‘One theory is that these cheeses have been stolen to sell on the black market to collectors or fancy restaurants. With their certificates they could have been worth thousands of pounds.’

Both cheeses were taken from a secured tent. The thieves would have had to avoid CCTV cameras and dodged the show’s security guards.

Police are investigating and Mr Clothier has offered a £500 reward for information. He thought it was unlikely to be a jealous competitor because ‘everyone in the cheese industry is pretty friendly’.