It’s been called “the grate cheese robbery.”

But it’s no joke to the tight-knit world of artisanal British cheese makers, which is reeling from the disappearance of 22 metric tons of rare Cheddar worth at least 300,000 pounds, about $390,000, in what appears to be the biggest con to hit their industry in decades.

“We never imagined that this sort of thing would happen,” said Patrick Holden, whose dairy farm in Wales made some of the missing Cheddar.

Subscribe to The Times to read as many articles as you like.