LONDON (AP) – A British chef has called on thieves who stole a van filled with 2,500 delicious pies to “do the right thing” and donate the edible loot to the poor.
Tommy Banks, who runs two Michelin-starred restaurants and a pub in the northern English county of Yorkshire, said his van had gone missing with a shipment of Christmas steaks and ales, turkeys and butternut squash pies. The staff said they discovered it. York City Market. The food is estimated to be worth 25,000 pounds ($32,000).
Mr Banks said the van was insured but he begged the vehicle thieves not to waste the food. In an Instagram video, he suggested dropping pies at venues such as community centers.
“I know you're a criminal, but it's Christmas so you might as well do something nice and feed thousands of people the pie you stole. Do the right thing.” he said.
The pie heist is the latest artisanal food theft to shake up the UK food trade. In October, around 1,000 cloth-wrapped artisanal cheddar cheeses weighing 22 tonnes (48,488 pounds) and worth 300,000 pounds ($390,000) were shipped to a wholesaler from London's Neal's Yard Dairy. It was stolen by a fraudster disguised as A major French retailer.
Despite searches by British and international police and an appeal by TV chef Jamie Oliver, the cheese has never been found. A 63-year-old man was arrested and questioned by police, but has not been charged.
