Noel Radford left fuming after splashing cash on ‘stupid’ treats in Dubai & then realising it was an ‘absolute rip off’
DAD-OF-22 Noel Radford has been left fuming after splashing the cash on ‘rip off’ chocolate in Dubai.
Just last week, we saw the father of Britain’s biggest family post a long rant after he was less than impressed with a high-end Sunday roast at a celebrity chef-endorsed restaurant whilst on holiday in the United Arab Emirates.
But Noel’s frustration on his posh Dubai trip has now continued, after he was ‘absolutely ripped off’ in the influencer hotspot.
Whilst on the luxury getaway, the Radford patriarch went to the iconic Dubai Mall, the world’s largest shopping centre, located next to the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building.
But whilst at the mall, which has over 1,200 shops and unforgettable entertainment experiences, the pie shop owner was not happy with his pricey treats.
Within recent months, the viral Dubai chocolate bar from Fix Dessert Chocolatier has taken social media by storm.
So it’s no surprise that the Radford kids requested their parents to stock up when in the skyscraper-filled city.
Noel, 53, and Sue, 49, bought three bars of the gooey, crunchy, loaded chocolate bars, which are stuffed with pistachio cream, a shredded filo pastry and milk chocolate.
But the couple, who live a 10-bedroom Morecambe home – known as the ‘millionaire mansion’ – in Lancashire, were left horrified at the price.
Posting online, on their official Radford account, the stars of the Channel 5 TV show 22 Kids and Counting asked their followers: “Is Dubai chocolate a rip off??”
Unlike her husband, Sue was impressed with their finds, as she beamed: “Look what we got.”
The mum-of-22 held up three bars of the chocolate as she asked her hubby: “Shall we tell them how much they were?”
To this, Noel quickly snapped: “No, we don’t, it’s stupid.
“This is the one thing the kids said ‘you must bring back’.”
Who's who in the Radford family?
The Radfords are Britain's biggest family with 22 children.
Here are the kids from eldest to youngest include:
- Chris – born May 7, 1989
- Sophie – born December 13, 1993
- Chloe – born July 31, 1995
- Jack – born April 9, 1997
- Daniel – born March 3, 1999
- Luke – born October 1, 2000
- Millie Radford – born August 29, 2001
- Katie – born November 14, 2002
- James – born October 17, 2003
- Ellie – born May 6, 2005
- Aimee – born April 21, 2006
- Josh – born July 3, 2007
- Max – born December 11, 2008
- Tillie – born May 2, 2010
- Oscar – born October 22, 2011
- Casper, – born October 3, 2012
- Hallie – born June 3, 2015
- Phoebe – born July 24, 2016
- Archie – born September 18, 2017
- Bonnie – born November 6, 2018
- Heidie – born April 3, 2020
Noel then confessed that they spent £100 in total on just three bars of chocolate, as he explained: “Two bars were about £80.
“I don’t want to say how much because it’s just stupid.”
Sue then held up a smaller bar that wasn’t as “thick”, as Noel confirmed: “That one was not even £20.
Absolute rip off at £40 each
Noel Radford
“The other two, I’m going to say they were £40 each.
“What a rip off. Absolute rip off at £40 each.”
Sue tried to make light of the situation, as she chimed in: “It is nice chocolate though.
How does family-of-22 the Radfords afford to live?
AS Britain’s biggest family, it may come as no surprise that Sue and Noel Radford must have some hefty bills.
Between them, they have a whopping 22 children and seven dogs, which often has some people wonder how they manage their money.
The Radfords support themselves with the proceeds of Noel’s bakery, The Radford Pie Company, which is located near their home.
On their website, it says: “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.”
The family expanded their business to cater to online orders placed across the UK.
The business is a family affair, with Noel at the helm, and some of their children helping out.
The older kids, who are working at least part-time, don’t get a free ride as they’re made to pay a small amount of rent to their parents.
“Us older ones do pay a little bit of board. Granted it’s not a lot but I’m also trying to save up for my own house at the moment.” their daughter Chloe said in a video on the YouTube channel.
Sue added: “We’ve always said if you want to buy somewhere, renting is a bit of dead money, so we’d rather you saved that money up and stayed at home a bit longer.
“I also do believe they should pay board if they are earning. We’ve always been brought up by our parents that we had to pay board.”
Noel and Sue famously don’t rely on benefits for their bumper brood and live off their pie shop for income.
They also revealed they make money from brand partnerships on social media.
The Radford family stars in their own reality TV show 22 Kids and Counting – which has run for four series.
Brand expert Andy Barr believes Noel and Sue have been paid less than £10,000 for each show.
He told the Daily Mail: “The typical fee per episode is going to be in the thousands rather than the tens or hundreds of thousands that people often think is the case with TV shows of this nature.
“If they continue to get commissioned for a fourth or fifth season, then they are going to be able to command a higher fee.”
He estimates that the Radfords make £ 5,000 an episode.
“Chloe bought some back and she let us have a line of it and it was really nice.”
To this, Noel added: “But I think where Chloe got hers from, she found it somewhere a bit cheaper than what we got. I think because it’s in the mall.”
Radford fans react
The TikTok clip, which was posted on the official @theradfordfamilyofficial, account, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it was shared just 17 hours ago but has quickly racked up 82,700 views.
Crazy prices
TikTok user
Social media users were left stunned by the price of the chocolate and many flocked to the comments to express this.
One person said: “£40 got one bar of chocolate? That is ridiculous.”
Another added: “Shocking price.”
A third commented: “Crazy prices.”
You got ripped off, they are not even the original ones
TikTok user
But at the same time, eagle-eyed chocolate fans were keen to point out that the Radfords had indeed been ‘ripped off’, as they hadn’t actually bought the official viral chocolate, but instead, a dupe.
One chocolate lover wrote: “That’s not the official one…… it’s made by Fix Official Chocolatiers.”
A second claimed: “You got ripped off, they are not even the original ones.”
Meanwhile, someone else explained: “That’s not even the actual one either, it’s called a fix.”