This included more than £3m on a state-of-the-art sous vide system from Armor Inox. Sous vide cooking was once the preserve of high end restaurants but over the last decade the benefits are now being successfully replicated in large scale manufacturing.

Creative Foods can now produce high quality sous vide ‘under vacuum’ proteins including chicken, beef, lamb, pork and duck, along with a sauce of choice.

Lee Tynan, food development director at Creative Foods, said: “We are seeing the growth in sous vide cooking as more and more chefs are now engaging with it. As well as retaining juices and flavours from being slow cooked in a water bath, and producing fantastically tender meat, it provides perfect consistency, greater yield and, in many cases, far superior flavour.

“Although primarily associated with fine dining its benefits are, in fact, just as valuable in the pub, restaurant and quick serve environment because of a quick cook time and good shelf life on defrost. It is also a great technique for getting the most from less expensive cuts of meat and this can have a dramatic impact on gross profit margins, consistency, and shelf life.”