So how high is our stock as tipsters? Animalcare looking strong and healthy

The company described 2010 as "a transformational year" of record sales, margins and underlying profits.

Anyone following my share tip is now sitting on a healthy 23.5 per cent increase after the shares opened the year at 100p and closed it at 123.5p.

The York-based company, which was based in Ripon prior to the completion of the 3.25m disposal of the agricultural business in November, saw 2010 pre-tax profits rise from 2m to 3m.

The results were boosted by a 16 per cent increase in revenues from the companion animal division, which supplies medicines to vets, to 9.7m.

Analyst Chris Glasper at Brewin Dolphin said the growth has been driven by a number of new product launches and a strong underlying performance from existing product lines.

Animalcare's chief executive Stephen Wildridge said new products have seen growth of 69 per cent year on year.

"As we've been in to see vets to explain our new products, they've said: 'Great, what else do you do?' So they are also buying our other licensed medicines," he said.

New, innovative products are the lifeblood of Animalcare and in October the group launched two new products, Anivac and Florgane.

Anivac is a vaccine for Viral Haemorrhagic Disease (VHD) in pet rabbits. VHD, one of the biggest killers of rabbits in the UK and Europe, is a very serious infectious disease with high death rates.

Florgane is designed to treat respiratory disease in cattle, for example pneumonia in calves. It is easier to syringe than rival treatments, especially at low temperatures, and leaves less marks at the injection site.

Two more new products are due to be launched in January.

Animalcare is almost debt free following the completion of the sale of its agricultural division to Tru-Test UK for 3.25m. The sale of the agricultural division leaves the group free to focus on its fast growing pet drugs business.

My tip for 2011 is International Personal Finance. At a time when other doorstep lenders are facing a bleak future, IPF is reporting strong growth and a rise in consumer confidence.

The Leeds-based company said it is in good shape going into 2011 – the group's decision to focus on overseas markets and ignore the UK is standing it in good stead.

While the snow in the UK has brought much of the country to a standstill, the markets that IPF operates in have been left fairly unscathed.

The group said that collections performance remains strong, impairment has continued to improve and costs remain well controlled.

It looks like Christmas was another bumper festive period for the company, which has managed to skilfully manoeuvre its way through the downturn.

The company, which lends small cash sums to consumers in central Europe and Mexico, said economic conditions and consumer confidence are improving.

During 2010 the group has seen a return to economic growth, an improved economic outlook and improvements in consumer confidence.

IPF has benefited as the countries it operates in have had less exposure to the global recession than the UK.

"Most of the economies we deal with are doing much better than the UK," said IPF's chief executive John Harnett. "For example Poland never went into recession."

The group is not resting on its laurels. It hopes to enter a new market this year and will soon make a decision on whether to push into Ukraine, Bulgaria or India.