Richmond Foods has kept the promise it made last year that it would record its first winter profit.

The ice cream maker narrowly missed a return to the black in the first half of last year when it recorded pre-tax losses of £200,000.

But good acquisitions and strong organic growth helped the Leeming Bar, North Yorkshire company to £1.2m profit for the 26 weeks to March 28 this year.

The milestone is an achievement, with the winter a traditionally difficult period for ice cream sales.

Financial director Andy Finneran pointed to growth in sales in its premium tub ranges in supermarkets as a key driver behind turnover rising 22 per cent, from £42.2m to £52.6m.

The company, whose plant is Europe's largest ice cream manufacturing operation, now has the might of the Walls frozen foods empire in its sights.

The growth consolidated Richmond's position as the number two ice cream producer in the UK, with its market share rising from 24 per cent to 31 per cent in the past year. It is three-times the size of Mars, which is in third place, but still lags behind Walls' 41 per cent share of the industry.

The company, which employs 250 people at Leeming Bar, is hoping to take the number one spot within the next three years.

It is investing money in acquisitions and technology to achieve that objective.

Richmond bought Oldfields, which is based in Sheffield, for £4m last October and De Roma, a family company in Wigan which was in receivership, in February this year for £3.3m. The De Roma operation has been worth £2.3m in sales in the first two months under new ownership.

Richmond has also spent £27m during the past three years on capital investments.

Mr Finneran said: "People who do not invest are making yesterday's products. It can be a difficult market out there, so we are trying to move our business along.

"We really believe we will be, within a three-year window, the UK's number one ice cream company."

Richmond produces a range of Nestl products, including the Fab lolly, supplies supermarket own-brands and holds the UK licence for Skinny Cow ice cream, which is aimed at the more health conscious end of the market where consumers are looking for lower fat content and fewer calories.

The company has a sole supplier agreement with Asda to supply Skinny Cow until the end of the summer and is in discussions with other supermarkets about a wider distribution at the end of that period.