Michelin-starred chef begs thieves to 'do the right thing' after criminals make off with £25,000 of Christmas pies
3 December 2024, 06:49
A Michelin-starred chef has appealed to thieves and urged them 'to do the right thing' after criminals made off with 2,500 of his finest pies.
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Tommy Banks, a renowned chef who has previously been a judge on shows including the Great British Menu, has taken to social media to beg for the return of the pilfered pies.
Banks, who owns two restaurants and a pub in North Yorkshire, is now urging anyone who has information to come forward.
"They’re driving around with boxes of pies with my name all over them,” the chef admitted in an instagram video posted on Monday.
Revealing further details of the crime, he explained that stolen items included pies filled with steak and ale, turkey and cranberry, and butternut squash, with enough pies taken to stock Tommy’s Pie Shop for a week.
He explained that the refrigerated vehicle disappeared from Barker business park in Melmerby, near Ripon, on Monday morning.
The chef’s video contained the caption: “So @matthewalockwood went into @madeinoldstead this morning to pick up the van and it has been stolen.
“These guys had loaded up the van with stock for @tommyspieshop today and left plugged in overnight.
"I’m guessing the thieves didn’t realise they were stealing 2,500 pies along with the van! The pies are all in boxes with my name on so not very easy to sell.
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“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.”
The chef explained that the pies were due to be delivered to a pop-up pie stall at York Christmas Market, but staff went to the vehicle to discover it had disappeared.
"I know you’re a criminal, but maybe just do something nice because it’s Christmas and maybe we can feed a few thousand people with these pies that you’ve stolen, do the right thing,” he added.
North Yorkshire police has since said it had been informed of the theft.
They've urged anyone with information to get in touch with information.
