2,500 Pies Stolen, Then Ruined: British Chef’s Plea Ends in Disappointment
A plea from Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks to thieves to return 2,500 stolen pies has ended in disappointment, The Associated Press reports.
Police recovered the van containing the savory cargo, but the pies, valued at £25,000 ($32,000), were found to be irreparably damaged and had to be discarded.
The theft occurred earlier this week when a van belonging to Banks’ restaurants in Yorkshire was discovered missing. Inside were hundreds of steak and ale, and turkey and butternut squash pies, destined for a Christmas market in York. While the van was insured, Banks took to Instagram in a heartfelt appeal, asking the thieves to consider donating the still-edible pies to a local community center.
However, the hopeful appeal ended sadly. Police located the van in Middlesbrough, approximately 30 miles from where it was stolen. The vehicle was badly damaged and its license plates had been removed. While the pies were inside, the extent of the damage rendered them uneatable.
This pie heist follows a significant cheese theft in October. Nearly 1,000 wheels of artisanal cheddar, weighing 22 metric tons and valued at £300,000 ($390,000), were stolen from Neal’s Yard Dairy in London by a con artist posing as a distributor. Despite a large-scale investigation involving British and international police, and a public appeal from celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, the cheese remains missing. A 63-year-old man was arrested but not charged.
