THE owner of a popular artisan food van has described it as “sickening” after her business was broken into last week.

Jennifer Reynolds has been at the wheel of The Artisan Van for four years.

Usually, she along with Winnie – the name of the van – can be found at Newhailes Industrial Estate in Musselburgh but due to the coronavirus she has been parked up near Jennifer’s home on Prestonpans’ Inchview.

Last Thursday evening, the vehicle was broken into, although Jennifer was relieved to say it appeared nothing had been stolen.

She said: “The van was parked up and one of my friends messaged me.

“She had received a message from someone in the street who had been driving past and saw a group of youths acting suspicious and hiding when he was driving past.

“I was sleeping and the message came through at about 11.30pm. You just feel sick to the stomach.

“It was broken into a couple of years ago and there has not been any damage done to it.”

The Artisan Van has been parked up for a number of weeks due to the ongoing social restrictions.

Nothing had been left in the vehicle in terms of supplies and Jennifer said: “It had been completely emptied but it beggars belief.

“It is really disheartening and sometimes you think ‘is it really worth it?’ and it makes you want to give up but it is a very small minority who behave like that.”

The former personnel manager with Tesco had flown down to Southampton to pick up the van, which serves up everything from gourmet burgers and halloumi fries to chicken wraps and sub sandwiches.

Forty-five-year-old Jennifer said the business had attracted a loyal customer base, with people regularly visiting from Fife and the Scottish Borders, with one even stopping off when travelling from Stafford to visit family in Dunbar.

The incident was not reported to the police.

 

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