NORTH Yorkshire headquartered frozen food giant McCain has seen profits surpass the £60 million mark despite reporting a drop in turnover.

Famed for creating the first ever frozen chip, McCain Foods GB, based in Scarborough, saw revenues fall to £440 million in the year ending June 30, 2015, down from £444.8 million the year before.

However pre-tax profits at the company, which employs 1,700 staff in the UK, hit £63.7 million, up form £54.7 million, as the group looks enjoyed a 100 per cent British supply for the year thanks to a strong potato crop.

The business, which is part of the Canadian based McCain Foods Group, said sales volumes strengthened through the year, despite competitive pressure from European producers fuelled by cheap potatoes and the weak Euro, and a “sluggish” start brought on by the hot summer in 2014.

Reporting its full year results, the group, which has four factories in the UK, including its head office in Scarborough, said: "As brand leader, the company believes it can continue to stimulate growth through innovation, quality and service. The directors are satisfied with the financial position of the company at the end of the year."

Globally MCain operates 41 production facilities across six continents, employing more than17,000 across the world.

The company is the UK’s largest purchaser of British potatoes, buying around 15 per cent of the annual potato crop.