Ambrosia’s Devon home secures £19m upgrade to boost production

Premier Foods has announced a £19 million investment in its Lifton factory, the home of Ambrosia custard and rice pudding for more than 100 years.

The work is being carried out in two phases, the first of which, costing £9 million, has already modernised production with a new custard filling line, faster packing lines and a move to recyclable packaging.

A second £10 million stage, which includes a small factory extension and a new custard-making plant, is now underway and expected to be finished by next summer.

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The improvements will allow the site to keep up with growing demand for Ambrosia products, while cutting energy use by 50% compared to older cooking methods.

The Lifton site currently employs more than 320 people and produces around 65 million kilos of custard and rice pudding every year, using more than 50 million litres of milk from West Country farms.

Rachel Matheson, Factory General Manager at Lifton, said: “This investment shows how committed we are to Lifton and to keeping our manufacturing here in the UK. Ambrosia is one of Britain’s most loved food brands, and we’re proud to keep making it right here in Devon. The porridge pots have been a huge hit, and it’s great to see how success like this enables us to reinvest in the site, back into our teams and in increased capacity.”

The factory has strong ties to the community, more than 70 staff members have worked there for over 25 years, with some families having four generations at the site. 

Ben Palmer, Production Manager, said: “My father worked here most of his life, and I remember him talking proudly about being part of the making of such a well-loved brand. Now I’m helping to lead the next generation of investment at the same site. It’s a full-circle moment and shows just how much our factory means to the people who work here and the wider community.”