Top chef's 2,500 pies 'a write off' after van theft

A stolen van that contained 2,500 pies from a Michelin-starred chef has been found by police - but the pies themselves have perished.

Tommy Banks, who runs award-winning restaurants in North Yorkshire, said the van had been due to drop off the pies, worth £25,000, at York Christmas Market on Monday morning.

However, he believed the white Fiat Ducato had been snatched from a business park in Melmerby, near Ripon, on Sunday night.

The refrigerated van was found abandoned with false number plates in the Hemlington area of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire Police said.

Mr Banks said the vehicle was "badly damaged" and "almost certainly a write-off", while the pies were "damaged and not refrigerated, so are also written off".

He described a tonne of food going to waste as "a real shame" and "just rubbish".

"I don't think the guys who stole the van were necessarily trying to steal pies. I think they were trying to steal a van and the pies were just collateral," Mr Banks added.

The missing pies represented a week's worth of stock, said Mr Banks, who had managed to keep his business open and trading.

"A van is a van, but the amount of work that goes into making pies is huge," he said.

North Yorkshire Police said the van was found abandoned in Cleveland on Friday and reported as stolen on Monday.

A spokesperson added that the vehicle had been forensically examined, with an investigation launched into the theft.

They added: "We are pleased that the owner has now been reunited with his van, but just as sad as everyone else to hear that the tasty pies in the van have sadly perished."

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