A bizarre theft that left Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks pie-less ended in bittersweet resolution. Banks, whose refrigerated van was stolen from a Yorkshire business park, had appealed to the public and even the thieves themselves to return the £25,000 worth of pies meant for York’s Christmas Market.

The van, loaded with 2,500 lovingly crafted steak and ale, turkey, and butternut squash pies, was discovered abandoned just 35 miles away in Middlesbrough, but the contents were no longer salvageable.

The chef, known for his acclaimed restaurants The Black Swan at Oldstead and Roots in York, expressed dismay over the wasted effort of his team. “A van is a van, but the amount of work that goes into making pies is huge,” Banks said.

Police revealed that the thieves likely targeted the Fiat Ducato van without knowing its contents, as it was recovered with false number plates hours after the theft.

Banks, managing to find humour in the situation, said the mystery of his missing pies had been likened to a ‘Wallace and Gromit sketch’.