Owners of a takeaway shop on Coronation Drive at Boonah, Queensland, were forced to defend themselves against an armed robber by throwing meat pies at his head, according to a report in The Courier-Mail.

Armed with a large knife, the man demanded money from store owner Melissa Law and her partner as they were closing up shop with their three-year-old daughter in tow.

“I’d already cleared the till. We only had about $50, so there was no money anyway,” Ms Law said.

“But he tried to come around the counter and that would have put him between me and my daughter. That’s when I threw the tray at his head,” she said.

“It was daunting that he would do that in front of my child.”

The robber fled, however, police investigations into the incident are continuing.