Premier is the owner of a number of well-known food brands

Sales were boosted 6% by the purchase of Bird's, Quorn and Cauldron brands, which Premier said "integrated well", while like-for-like sales were up 1.6%.

Operating profit was �95.3m ($167.6m), compared with �80.6m in 2004, and sales were �789.7m.

In October, Premier sold its tea business, including Typhoo, to India's Apeejay Surrendra Group for �80m.

Baked beans

Vegetarian food companies Cauldron Foods and Quorn were bought in 2005, as was one of the UK's oldest grocery brands, Bird's.

"The integration of these businesses has gone well and the brands have performed in line with our expectations," Premier said on Tuesday.

It said the launch of its Branston baked beans at the end of 2005 had been well received.

However, it warned that its potato business had suffered as customers "rationalised their supplier base".

Premier, which floated in 2004, suffered a scare that year when its factory in Suffolk was gutted by fire, restricting pickle production.