Thieves Steal Van Loaded with 2,500 Pies from Michelin-Starred Chef

Thieves in northern England recently made an unusual heist when they stole a van packed with 2,500 pies, valued at approximately £25,000 ($31,600). The van, filled with freshly made pies, was en route to the York Christmas Market when it was taken.

Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks, owner of the Black Swan in Oldstead and several other food businesses in the region, shared the distressing news on Instagram. In a video posted on Monday, Banks revealed that the pies, ready for delivery, had his name written on the boxes.

“We’ve been robbed,” Banks said, adding, “Out there somewhere is our van and nearly a ton of pies with my name written all over them.” He continued by addressing the thieves, urging them to return the pies. “You can’t do anything with these pies because they’ve got my name written all over them,” he said, before making a plea for the criminals to drop the pies off somewhere like a community center. “Maybe just do something nice because it’s Christmas,” he added. “We can feed a few thousand people with these pies.”

In the video’s caption, Banks stressed that the pies were not easily sellable due to the labeling, urging the thieves to at least drop them off for a good cause. He ended the message with a sharp rebuke, calling them a “thieving piece of sh*t” and humorously stating, “I hope you don’t get any presents this Christmas.”

The following day, Banks shared an update, revealing that police believed they had located the van, which had been altered with fake license plates. However, the fate of the pies and their condition remained unknown. North Yorkshire Police confirmed the vehicle’s recovery in a statement, noting that it had been “found abandoned with false number plates.” The investigation into the theft is ongoing, and anyone with information is encouraged to come forward.

This robbery follows another high-profile food theft earlier in the year, where scammers managed to steal over 24 tons of artisanal cheese from Neal’s Yard Dairy, a well-known British dairy company.