Profits have more than doubled at chicken processor Forresters, which is behind the Delamere brand, despite the family-owned business overseeing a year of investment into its facilities and equipment.

According to its latest set of accounts, Forresters (Sales) generated pre-tax profits of £1.4m in the year to 31 March 2016, up by 132 per cent on a year earlier. Sales increased by 32 per cent to £45.9m over the same period.

Directors of the business, which is based the Cheshire village of Kingsley near Frodsham, said it had been a "satisfactory" year.

They added: "Production capacity was increased this year with the installation of three new pre-cook injection lines and tumbling facilities. We have increased our current cooking volumes to in excess of 50 tonnes of chicken daily.

"We have also invested in further tray sealing machinery, a 'flowrap' machine, and more automatic slicing equipment. We have significantly increased the percentage of British chicken that we process, with many of our customers seeing this as a benefit to increasing sales. The majority of our growth has continued with the cooked chilled chicken division.

"During the past 12 months, the company has maintained and increased our core customer base, and we have seen a healthy and we believe sustainable increase in sales."

Forresters was established by majority shareholder Alan Dilliway-Parry in 1972 and employs more than 170 staff. It supplies both branded and own-label products to a range of customers including retailers, foodservice clients, pubs, restaurants, schools and hospitals.

The company's Delamere brand, which spans a range of cooked and chilled ready-to-eat chicken products, launched in 2013.

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