Penny Lane in growth spurt

Frozen sausages and burgers manufacturer Penny Lane Foods has doubled production capacity at its Bridgwater factory in Somerset to meet growing demand.

Md Adrian Jones said: “We've spent around £2.5m developing the site so that I can now say that our kit is just as good as anything at Tranfield or Kerry Group. We've been growing at 20% year-on-year, and I am also hoping that the lifting of the export ban on British beef will generate more business.”

He added: “We used to do a lot of trade with beef sausages to expats in Spain, but the Irish have been cleaning up since the ban. However, we have been maintaining contact with customers, so we are hoping to sell our full range into them in future.”

Negative publicity about processed foods such as turkey twizzlers and cheap burgers in the wake of the Jamie's School Dinners TV show, which was partly blamed for the recent demise of rival Canterbury Food Group, had not really impacted Penny Lane, said Jones.

“We typically supply independent foodservice wholesalers, pubs, chip shops and so on. I hate to say it, but mobile catering vans don't give a monkey's how much salt is in their burgers. What they want to know is how much it costs and what the lead time is.”