A file photo shows traditional British steak and ale pies. BRETT STEVENS/Getty/iStock Images

A Michelin-starred chef in England called Monday on the thieves who stole his work van, along with about $32,000 worth of meat pies inside it, to embrace the holiday spirit and hand over the looted goods to help feed people in need. Tommy Banks, who owns restaurants in northeast England, posted a video on Instagram telling followers about the theft of his van and the 2,500 pies, and appealing to those responsible to "do the right thing."

The chef said the refrigerated van was loaded with the food and left to charge overnight. But when a colleague returned in the morning to deliver the pies, it was nowhere to be found.

In a statement, the North Yorkshire Police said Wednesday that the stolen van was found abandoned with fake license plates more than 30 miles away from where it was taken, and an investigation into the theft was ongoing. It wasn't immediately clear if all the pies were still in the van.

"I know you're a criminal," Banks said in his video appeal, "but maybe just do something nice because it's Christmas and maybe we could feed a few thousand people with these pies that you stole," urging the perpetrators to leave the pies at a community center or some other facility from which they could be distributed.

In a follow-up post, he warned that "time was running out for these pie hostages," alluding to the shelf-life of the traditional English dish. The savory goods stolen with the van included steak and ale, and turkey and butternut squash pies, all of which were headed for a pop-up pie stall at the nearby York Christmas Market.

Chef Banks owns two restaurants, a pub and a premium catering service around the ancient city of York. He said the pilfered pies were worth about $32,000.

Banks ended his social media post by saying he hoped the thieves "don't get any presents this Christmas."

The pie heist wasn't the first food-related robbery in England this autumn.

In October, $390,000 worth of cheddar cheese was stolen from Neal's Yard Dairy in London. The retailer said a con artist posing as a wholesale distributor stole nearly 49,000 pounds of cheese. Detectives at Scotland Yard and international authorities were still searching for the culprits as of this week.

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