It's like a pie in the face.
A famous British chef, who pleaded with thieves who stole a lorry full of 2,500 of his pies to share them with those in need, said fickle demons destroyed the dessert, nullifying his well-intentioned gesture.
Celebrity cooking expert Tommy Banks took to Instagram on Tuesday to report that cops had found the “hijacked” van from North Yorkshire last week – with both the car and the pies “severely damaged”.
“Looking at the truck, it's almost certainly a write-off. It was pretty damaged,” Banks said. “Unfortunately, the trash can in the back and all the pies were pretty badly damaged as well,” Banks said. “The whole thing was a complete write-off to be honest. Which is a real shame. “It's just a lot of waste and it's just garbage.”
He added: “Sorry, this is not a happy ending to this story.”
Banks, who owns Michelin-starred The Black Swan at Oldstead, went viral over the weekend when he sent a message to truck thieves in an online post, asking them to share goodies with those in need in the Christmas spirit.
“The guys loaded the truck with inventory for @tommyspieshop today and left it plugged in overnight,” Banks said. “I think the thieves didn't realize they were stealing 2,500 pies with the truck.”
He added: “The pies are all in boxes with my name on them, so it's not easy to sell them.” “If you're the thieves and you're reading this, I urge you to leave the pies somewhere. So we can at least give them to people who need food and they don't go to waste. I also think you're a piece of thieves.”
According to a press release from North Yorkshire Police, a white Fiat Ducato refrigerated van was parked at a shopping complex over the weekend when it was stolen.
Cops from the Cleveland Police Department in nearby Middlesboro found the car abandoned on their property – but with fake plates so it wasn't immediately linked to the celebrity chef.
Police said the fate of the missing pies remains unknown as the investigation continues.
Banks said in an earlier Instagram video that the truck contained “almost a ton” of pies that were headed to York's Christmas market — and he said he hoped the thieves were also in the holiday spirit.
“I know the pancakes are gone, and I know you wrecked my truck,” he said. “I probably won't get it back. But you can't do anything with these pancakes because they wrote my name on them. So, can you leave them somewhere? Drop them off like a community center or somewhere and at least someone can eat them. And whoever needs them can eat them.” “
“I know you're a criminal, but maybe do something nice because it's Christmas, and maybe we can feed a few thousand people with those pies you stole. Do the right thing.”
But on Tuesday he offered a “final pie update,” bemoaning the unhappy outcome.
Banks said the truck and crumbs are now at a police salvage yard.
“There's obviously a lot of crime going on right now,” he added. “A lot of trucks [have] It was stolen. I was listening to the radio earlier. “People say how many trucks were stolen.”
“I think especially this time of year, just be vigilant.”
He also said he won't leave his truck outside in the future.
