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Prize-Winning Cheddar Cheese Stolen From English Fair

Elizabeth Licata|

Someone call Sherlock Holmes, because there's a Cheddar theft mystery in England, and nobody has been able to solve it.

Over the weekend, some of the U.K.'s top cheesemakers competed in the annual Cheddar competition at the Yeovil Show, which is an event like a big county fair in southwest England. Yeovil is near Cheddar, and it's a big draw for the country's best Cheddar cheese producers, so competition was fierce. This year, the Best in Show and Reserve Champion awards both went to aged Cheddar cheeses from Wyke Farms.

It was a big win for Wyke Farms when both their cheeses were displayed with "best in show" trophies in a big tent along with other cheese competitors for fairgoers to admire. Saturday night, however, both of the Wyke Farms cheeses mysteriously disappeared from the tent, along with their winner's certificates.

Whoever the thieves were, they were only looking for the best. The two top prize cheeses from Wyke Farms were taken, but the rest of the cheeses from the competition were left alone. Wyke Farms' managing director, Rick Clothier, told The Guardian that the cheeses might have been stolen for customers abroad, and that they might already have left the country.

Security cameras filmed the crime, but that has not helped anybody find the thief or recover the cheese yet.

Clothier said the theft must have been planned in advance, because each of the cheeses weighs 44 pounds, and they are not easy to carry.

Wyke Farms is very upset about the loss of some of the best cheese they have ever made.

"These cheeses could be considered masterpieces," Clothier said. "It's a bit like having a valuable painting stolen."

The cheeses are worth about 800 pounds, or $1,038. Wyke Farms is offering a 500 pound reward to anyone who can help the catch the thieves or recover the cheese.

Click here to see where Cheddar falls on our list of the 11 best cheeses from around the world.

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