The Radford family, known as Britain’s largest family, kicked off their Christmas celebrations early with a trip to Centre Parcs.
This comes on the heels of a lavish holiday in Dubai where parents Sue and Noel celebrated their wedding anniversary and their daughter Millie,23, got married.
The family has managed to squeeze in 20 holidays this year, and Sue even flaunted her luxury Porsche on social media during their latest getaway. However, some fans are left wondering how they manage to afford such luxuries while raising 22 children.
The family reportedly spends around £450 weekly on groceries alone according to the Mirror, including 16 pints of milk and four loaves of bread daily. Sue, 48, admits that housework is “never-ending”, while Noel, 53, works tirelessly at their family bakery.
Their brood includes Chris, 34, Sophie, 29, Chloe, 28, Jack, 26, Daniel, 24, Luke, 22, Millie, 23, Katie, 20, James, 19, Ellie, 18, Aimee, 17, Josh, 16, Max, 14, Tillie, 13, Oscar, 11, Casper, 10, Hallie, eight, Phoebe, seven, Archie, six, Bonnie, four, and Heidie, three. They also mourn the loss of Alfie, who was stillborn in 2014.
Despite the obstacles they’ve faced, the parents have consistently found ways to make ends meet. Their rise to fame through their family’s story, coupled with a successful bakery business, has also led to additional income from social media and television agreements. So, what’s their secret to feeding such a large brood?
Family business
The Radfords are financially independent, thanks to Noel’s family bakery business. The Radford Pie Company, situated close to their home in Morecambe, Lancashire, delivers wholesome pies to customers nationwide.
On their website, the Radfords share: “We have owned our own lovely bakery since 1999 which is how we manage to provide for (and feed) our huge and expanding family as well as for the local people of Heysham and Morecambe. We have set up our online pie shop so we can share our very popular pies with you all. We’re a real family business with both myself and Sue working at the helm along with some of our children to help us.”
Noel, who has been a baker for over two decades and has worked his way up from trainee to manager and now owner, is the main provider for the family. It’s truly a family enterprise, with Sue managing orders and serving as the “chief taste tester” when she’s not busy with their children.
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Daughter Chloe is at the helm as the up-and-coming artisan pie creator, having served in the family bakery for five years, while her brother Daniel assists with readying the deliveries. Despite branching out to manage online orders from across the country, the company was significantly impacted by the Covid-19 crisis.
In December 2022, the bakery was forced to shutter temporarily after Noel caught the virus, leading to a loss in sales during what should have been a lucrative period. Later, as 2023 unfolded, Noel informed their television audience that he had baked his final loaf and decided to ‘retire’ to dedicate more time to family life, proclaiming, “No more getting up early. Hang up my gloves, time to move on,” during a heart-to-heart with his wife.
Subsequently, he instigated a friendly rivalry between his children Chloe and Luke to determine his successor. However, Noel found difficulty adjusting to domestic life and quickly grew restless with retirement.
He candidly admitted to his wife: “I’m not past my best-by date yet, I think I’m going back.” In response to his plea to rejoin the bakery, Chloe teased: “You’re only an employee now.”
Financial details are often kept close to the chest, but reports suggest that the shop has raked in £9.2 million in sales. Moreover, in an episode of their TV show, Noel divulged that since the pie shop’s inception, it has generated £2.5 million.
Benefits
Sue and Noel reportedly do not claim any benefits other than Child Benefit. According to sources, they have amassed a net worth of £975,000 but don’t consider themselves wealthy.
“Absolutely not, we’re definitely not secret millionaires,” Sue remarked in a YouTube video when questioned about their wealth. She further explained: “To me rich would be having the big mansion, the flash cars and quite a few hundred thousand in the bank, to me that would be rich but we are not that.”
The couple also earn income through brand partnerships. Their YouTube channel boasts an impressive 369,000 subscribers, while their Instagram has over 500K followers. Additionally, they receive payment for their reality TV show, ’22 Kids and Counting’.
Earlier this year, Sue told the Mirror: “People just jump to conclusions. We don’t claim benefits – the pie company is very successful and so is our media business. We work hard but we’re not millionaires! The nastiness is upsetting though. We just want to be able to give our children the best possible life.”
She added, reflecting on her father’s passing: “My mindset changed when my dad passed away. I thought, if we want to be able to go on holiday and make memories with our children, then why should we be judged? You should live life how you want and not how other people want you to live it. If you’re happy and the kids are happy, then what does it matter what anybody else thinks?”
Their 10-bedroom home and rent
The Radfords, who reside in a 10-bedroom house they purchased for £240,000 in 2004, are feeling the squeeze. Despite suggestions of leaving their three-storey home, formerly a care home, they now have grand renovation plans.
“I think a while back I did really want to move house, before we did the house up. But since doing the house up were not moving and actually we’ve got plans for the house, quite big plans,” Sue revealed. She added: “We will be sharing them with you once the architect does his thing.”
If the family ever decided to relocate, they would opt for somewhere tranquil or sunny. Noe chimed in: “I think if we were to move house what we would really love to do is move abroad or move to the lakes.”
While some of the older children have moved out, others still live at home as adults, contributing a small amount of rent. Chloe explained: “Us older ones do pay a little bit of board, granted it’s not a lot but I am trying to save up for my own house at the moment.”
Sue further clarified: “We’ve always said if you want to buy somewhere, rent is dead money so we would rather you saved that money up and stayed at home for a bit longer. But me and Noel believe they should pay board, if they are earning we’ve always been brought up to pay board.”
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