Thieves in northern England might have bitten off more than they can chew after stealing a van carrying 2,500 pies, worth about £25,000 ($31,600).

Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks has appealed to thieves who stole his van containing $30,000 worth of pies to do something nice for Christmas.

Tommy Banks says "nearly a tonne" of pies worth a total of £25,000 were due to be delivered to a Christmas market.

Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks issued a plea to the thieves who stole his van—and the $30,000 worth of pies inside—in the spirit of Christmas.

It remains unclear whether the 2,500 pies, including steak and ale, turkey and cranberry, and butternut squash varieties, were still inside the van when it was recovered.

In England, a bizarre theft of over 2,000 pies has shocked the public, the famed pastry chef who made them, and perhaps even the perpetrators themselves.

Michelin-starred chef Tommy Banks said he's out of 2,500 pies after thieves stole his van containing the baked goods and later ditched the vehicle. According to an Instagram video posted by Banks, the pies were ruined.

A British chef's appeal for thieves to return 2,500 pies that were in a stolen van ended in disappointment Tuesday when police found the vehicle abandoned, with its savory cargo too damaged to eat. Tommy Banks,

A British chef’s appeal for thieves to return 2,500 pies that were in a stolen van has ended in disappointment.

Tommy Banks, who owns two Michelin-starred restaurants and a pub in northern England, begged the car thieves in an Instagram video not to let the food go to waste.

It’s like a pie in the face. A famed British chef who pleaded with the thieves who stole a van packed with 2,500 of his pies to share them with the needy said the flaky fiends trashed the treats, nixing his well-meaning gesture.