A Michelin-starred chef has appealed to thieves who stole his van with 2,500 pies inside to “do the right thing” and drop them somewhere so people in need can have them.

Tommy Banks, who owns two restaurants and a pub in North Yorkshire, posted on Instagram on Monday morning to say his van with £25,000 of stock in the back had been taken from just outside Ripon.

Mr Banks said in the video that the stock – including steak and ale, turkey and butternut squash pies, as well as gravy and custard – was for York Christmas Market.

He urged the thieves to drop the pies somewhere such as a community centre, adding “I know you’re a criminal, but maybe just do something nice because it’s Christmas and maybe we can feed a few thousand people with these pies that you’ve stolen, do the right thing”.

Mr Banks also asked anyone who is offered pies from someone who is not him to report them to the police.

North Yorkshire Police said it had been informed of the theft and asked anyone with information to get in touch, the BBC reported.

Mr Banks’s video contained the caption: “So @matthewalockwood went into @madeinoldstead this morning to pick up the van and it has been stolen.

“These guys had loaded up the van with stock for @tommyspieshop today and left plugged in overnight.

“I’m guessing the thieves didn’t realise they were stealing 2,500 pies along with the van! The pies are all in boxes with my name on so not very easy to sell.

“If you are the thieves and read this I urge you to drop the pies off somewhere. So we can at least give them to people who need food and they are not wasted.”

Mr Banks told the PA news agency: “What was really making me sad this morning, I thought suddenly they’re going to realise what’s in the back and ditch the food.

“We talk about zero waste and when you’ve got just short of a tonne of food that’s probably been ditched, it would be good if it could find its way to people who need it.”

He added that his team were “much less bothered about the van as they’re bothered about the pies” as it was a week’s worth of stock.

The chef said they are planning to create a chicken pie this week and one of his team came up with the name “bandit butter chicken pie”, as he said the situation was “all a bit Home Alone – at Christmas with the pie bandit stealing our pies”.