Stolen Van with 2,500 Chef’s Pies Recovered, Contents Ruined

A stolen van containing 2,500 pies from a Michelin-starred chef has been located by police, but the pies themselves are no longer usable. Tommy Banks, who operates award-winning restaurants in North Yorkshire, stated that the van was scheduled to deliver the pies, valued at £25,000, to York Christmas Market on Monday morning. However, he believed the white Fiat Ducato had been taken from a business park in Melmerby, near Ripon, on Sunday night. North Yorkshire Police reported that the refrigerated van was discovered abandoned with false number plates in the Hemlington area of Middlesbrough. Mr. Banks indicated that the vehicle was “badly damaged” and “almost certainly a write-off,” adding that the pies were “damaged and not refrigerated, so are also written off.” He described the waste of a tonne of food 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, according to Mr. Banks, who had managed to keep his business open and trading. He commented, “A van is a van, but the amount of work that goes into making pies is huge.” North Yorkshire Police confirmed that the van was found abandoned in Cleveland on Friday and had been reported as stolen on Monday. A spokesperson further stated that the vehicle had undergone forensic examination, and an investigation into the theft has been initiated. They concluded: “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.”