Thieves in northern England recently stole 2,500 pies — worth 25,000 pounds, or $31,600, per CNN — from Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks.
As Banks revealed in an Instagram video on Monday, the pies were loaded up in a van, waiting to be delivered to York Christmas Market. That’s when the van was stolen.
“Out there somewhere is our van and nearly a ton of pies with my name written all over them, somewhere in the north of England,” Banks said in the video
“What I can’t get my head around though is, that these guys probably stole the van ... but they probably didn’t bargain for the nearly ton of pies in the back of it,” he continued. “And it’s really sad, because that’s a lot of meat and a lot of flour and eggs, and a lot of work. Like, so much work.”
Banks is a Michelin-starred chef and owner of The Black Swan in Olstead, a Michelin-star pub, and multiple other food businesses in England, according to CNN.
In his video, Banks appealed to the thieves directly, saying, “I know the pies are gone. ... I know I’m probably not getting them back.” He then asked the thieves to drop them off to a community center so “somebody who needs them could eat them.”
“I know you’re a criminal, but maybe do something nice because it’s Christmas,” he said.
Since Banks released his public plea, the pies have been found, according to BBC. The police found the van abandoned with false license plates.
According to BBC, the police have officially launched a formal investigation. Banks said he didn’t know if the pies were still in the back of the van.
“It’s horrible being robbed ... but I think the thing that I find really galling is that there’s just so much waste,” Banks said in an interview with BBC Radio. “All that food.”