£25,000 worth of Christmas pies nabbed from Michelin-starred chef in van heist

North Yorkshire Police confirmed that the van stolen from Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks was found abandoned with false number plates in the Hemlington area of Middlesbrough, according to CNN. It remains unclear whether the 2,500 pies, including steak and ale, turkey and cranberry, and butternut squash varieties, were still inside the van when it was recovered, as reported by expressandstar.com. The investigation into the theft is ongoing, and authorities are requesting anyone with information about the incident to come forward.

Earlier this week, thieves in northern England stole a van transporting 2,500 Christmas pies valued at around £25,000 which were prepared for delivery to the York Christmas Market, according to Stern. The van was taken from Barker Business Park in Melmerby, near Ripon, North Yorkshire, over the weekend, CNN reported.

The pies belonged to renowned Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks, who owns two restaurants and a pub in North Yorkshire, including The Black Swan in Oldstead. Banks took to social media to announce the theft, sharing the news in a video posted on his Instagram account. "We’ve been robbed. Somewhere out there is our van and nearly a ton of pies with my name written on them," he said, expressing his frustration over the theft.

Banks emphasized that the pies are distinctly branded and would be difficult to sell. "The pies are all in boxes with my name on so not very easy to sell. If you are the thieves and read this I urge you to... drop the pies off somewhere. So we can at least give them to people who need food and they are not wasted," he wrote in the caption of his Instagram video.

Acknowledging that the thieves likely intended to steal the van rather than the pies, Banks said, "What I can't get my head around is these guys probably stole the van, right? Because that's what they do. But they probably didn't bargain for the nearly ton of pies that is in the back of it." 

"The team are very gutted because it's days and days of work gone," Banks told the BBC.

Banks noted that his team was working tirelessly to produce more pies to replace the stolen ones. "The guys are working like crazy to produce more," he is quoted by Stern.

North Yorkshire Police did not say whether the pies were still inside the van when it was recovered, expressandstar.com reported. A spokesperson added, "Inquiries are ongoing with Cleveland police as to the contents of the van when it was recovered." The authorities are requesting anyone with information about the theft to get in touch, CNN noted.

Despite the setback, Banks remains hopeful that the pies will be found and put to good use. "I know everyone is vigilant and keeping their eyes open to find the pies. For that, a huge thank you."

This article was written in collaboration with generative AI company Alchemiq