A household name in vegetarian food is growing its operations in Norfolk as part of a national investment plan.

Quorn, which makes meat-free products like nuggets, burgers and sausages, said its production facility in Methwold would see investment in 'new capabilities and capacity'.

It said a recent £150m investment in its northern heartlands, in Teeside and North Yorkshire, would have knock-on effects in the workload taken on by the West Norfolk plant.

The food producer opened its facility in Methwold around 12 years ago and currently employs 300 people there, which can be supplemented by up to 100 agency staff during periods of greater demand.

The main products it makes are Quorn nuggets, deli slices, cocktail sausages and Cauldron falafels.

Quorn Foods chief executive Kevin Brennan said the investment in its UK facilities, including Methwold, was part of its mission to become a billion-dollar business by 2027.

'Quorn is growing very strongly in the UK and the EU. We are constantly working to increase our production output and to invest in new capabilities and capacity, which includes the Methwold plant,' he said.

'While this investment is focused in the North East, the increase in production will be reflected in our Methwold plant.

'This growth and investment is a direct response to accelerating consumer demand for meat-free alternatives due to an increased awareness of the environmental impact of meat production.'

Last month Quorn unveiled plans to invest £7m in the development of a new global innovation centre at its headquarters in Stokesley, North Yorkshire.

It came as the company revealed a 12% jump in profits in the first six months of 2018 to £112m, building on its strongest ever year of growth in 2017.

It has created more than 100 jobs in the past year and expects this trend to continue, particularly in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) area.

When the new innovation centre and the half-year results were announced, Mr Brennan said: We are seeing lots of Silicon Valley investment and hype in this space but we have already built up 30 years of expertise in the meat-free category. With our renewed investment in R&D we expect to lead the way for decades to come.'