Jonathan Scoffield could be forgiven for having an aversion to Christmas, and particular festive puddings. For the past three years, the 38-year-old father of two has been general manager of Matthew Walker, a division of Northern Foods, responsible for producing 20 million Christmas and other puddings every year.

But now he has moved to another Northern Foods company, grill steak specialist Dalepak, in Leeming Bar, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, as managing director.

Mr Scoffield, who lives in Penistone, between Sheffield and Leeds, hopes to increase turnover at Dalepak from £31m to £45m within the next three years.

He said: "I have only been in the job three days, but I already believe that is an achievable target. In the past year alone, we have grown turnover by 14 per cent.

"We will grow by continuing to take on our biggest competitors, such as Birds Eye, and by the introduction of innovative new products."

That growth could also mean additions to the 322-strong workforce.

He said: "The increase in turnover may lead to an increase in jobs, but it will be about increased efficiency.

"We have a good, loyal workforce, taken from the surrounding area. We are one of the bigger employers in this area, and want to continue to be so.

"We pride ourselves on developing our staff. We have helped around 70 per cent of our workforce gain NVQs in food production."

Dalepak recently introduced a variety of vegetable-based products, to go alongside its traditional meat products, and is planning to introduce a range of vegetable-based ready-meals soon.

Established in 1976, Dalepak was the first company to launch a frozen vegetable-based product in the UK.

But its main claim to fame is the introduction of the grill steak to the UK.

"We now have a very strong range of innovative products," said Mr Scoffield.

"Customers recognise Dalepak as a quality brand, and one they can trust. Hopefully, that will encourage them to try out our new products."

Mr Scoffield said it was Dalepak's reputation for quality that saw it through recent food scares, with customers still buying the brand.

"We were not really affected by food scares like foot-and-mouth.

"People may have stopped eating beef, but it did not seem to put them off our products."

Dalepak is one of the divisions of Northern Foods, based in Hull, which also owns Fox's Biscuits, Bowyers and Pork Farm, and has an annual turnover of £1.5bn.

Mr Scoffield has worked for each of Northern Foods' divisions in his career.

He joined the organisation as a management trainee, aged 21, following the completion of an economic and social science degree at Manchester University.

"At first I worked wherever I was sent, learning the ropes. After that I worked for a variety of Northern Foods companies, in a marketing role, including Bowyers, Pork Farm, Fox's Biscuits and Matthew Walker.

"Matthew Walker was an interesting job, because a lot of its production was aimed at just one day a year.

"The vast majority of Christmas puddings consumed in the UK were made by the company, including own-brand products for supermarkets, and even the likes of Harrods, in London.

"We even made special products for Heinz and the Thorntons sweet shop chain."

Mr Scoffield sees innovation as the key to the continued success of Dalepak.

He said: "We cannot rest on our laurels. If we want to grow this business to the levels I have mentioned, then we need to constantly innovate, creating new products that the public wants.

"We are constantly trying out new products, and we have some currently in development.

"In particular, there has been a growth in demand for vegetable products, from customers wanting to add more variety to their diet.

"The feedback we have been getting from our tasting panels, trying our products, is very encouraging.

"We appear to be winning the battle to encourage more people to try vegetable options, which can only be good news for our continued growth.

"The meat-free market is estimated to be worth around £187m a year, and we want our fair share of that."