'It's devastating,' Michelin-starred restaurant owner says after £800 meat theft

The owner of a Michelin-starred restaurant has hit back after a thief was caught on CCTV stealing £800 of meat from a food delivery.

Chris Galvin, owner of Galvin La Chapelle in Bishopgate, central London, said: "It's devastating to see this happening in the run-up to Christmas, the busiest and most crucial period for the hospitality industry."

He said the stolen produce was "high-quality, premium meat" and "not everyday groceries".

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"These are items that simply don't end up in someone's home kitchen, which raises serious concerns that this theft may be feeding into other restaurants. As an industry already under immense pressure, it's disheartening to face targeted behaviour like this, but we hope shining a light on it helps protect other venues from becoming victims," he said.

CCTV footage of the theft apparently shows a woman with her hair in a bun and wearing a cream hoodie and black and white trainers going through the restaurant's food delivery and taking packages of meat.

The Metropolitan Police is investigating the incident.

The theft came to light after another Michelin-starred restaurant in London was targeted.

A woman was purportedly caught stealing a box of langoustines, worth around £200, from the doorstep of Elystan Street in Chelsea.

Owner and chef Phil Howard shared CCTV footage of the alleged theft on Instagram last week, saying: "Caught stealing our precious langoustines this morning - you low-life scumbag. Hope you rot in hell with your other hard-working mates."

Howard praised the response from the hospitality industry in the days after, saying it has been "nothing short of incredible".

The Met Police said it was too early in its investigation to say whether the two incidents were connected.