Chicken’s on the menu tonight and the kitchen looks like a Red Rooster on a busy shift. 3.5kg’s of schnitzels nestle alongside two large trays of roasted potatoes and several large mounds of various vegetables.

Meal Times

All looks and sounds chaotic, like an orchestra warming up. Then Jackie, the culinary maestro taps her baton, or in this case her wooden spoon, on the gong and the show begins! You’d think the gong would have trouble being heard over the jumbled din of music and excited, raised voices, but the Manton family’s hearing is well tuned into this particular sound and they soon appear from all directions. A semblance of order starts to appear out of the chaos. “Mealtimes are really crazy,” says Yarrah. “When dinner’s ready we all come running like a herd of animals. The actual feeding happens in order from youngest to oldest, so I'm right in the middle!”

Every Monday night the whole family gets together, including those who have left home and now have their own families, like Brenna, Jackie’s eldest daughter (and mother of a mere three children herself), and Phil.

“Usually when we’re eating everyone goes quiet,” says Matilda, “The silence is blissful. But after dinner it can get really, really loud!” “Having a big family means always having someone to talk,” says Hamish “and so struggling to be heard is just part of the deal!” adds Keith.

The Manton Family today

•Jackie Stephens - mum •Phil Manton (Jackie’s first husband and father of the following… •Hamish 13 years •Harry 15 years •Matilda 17 years •Effie 19 years (Hairdresser) •Xanthe 21 years (Pharmacist Assistant) •Yarrah 22 years (Florist) •Blake 24 years (currently looking for work) •Kyne 26 years (electrician) •Breanna 28 years (waitress and mom of 3) •Joel 30 years (Chef) •Keith Stephens (Jackie’s current husband, and father of …) •Scot 39 years, •Ryan 23 years •Joss 21 years. …plus 4 cats, two dogs, one snake and a pond full of gold fish.

Feeding a family of 10 – how do they do it?

When asked “How do you manage to cook for them all?” Jackie smiles and says, “I just use bigger pans than you!” But she concedes having such a large family often generates much curiosity and intrigue. “People tend to think because of our size we must live on gruel or something, but you know, feeding a large crew simply means making more food and setting out more plates. It’s as much about the organization as the numbers.” But she adds that finding the balance between feeding so many mouths and keeping the food healthy is an on-going challenge. Tips for managing shopping, preparation, cooking & eating.

•Organisation: According to Phil, father of the kids and now Jackie’s ex husband (yes, he escaped! - but remains very much part of the family,) “it’s all a matter of organisation and Jackie’s the best at this – she keeps things running pretty smoothly.” Jackie strongly agrees, “Without some organisation and discipline the chaos would drown us all. “ While not a boot camp, the family home has a tangible sense of order, routine and boundaries being set and observed.

•Time Management: “Time management is a big part of having a big family and staying sane, especially when the children are little,” recalls Jackie. For my own sanity, it’s been much more important than managing a budget, which I’m not so good at! The better I manage my time the more smoothly things run.”

•Managing the Shopping: “Fortunately Franklins is just a minute’s walk from our house. I do 90% of the cooking and am always in and out of the cupboards, so I generally know what we need and when we need it, so I don’t even need to make lists.” Jackie does a big grocery shop once a fortnight, buys fresh fruit and vegetables every two or three days, which is topped up constantly because the family are big fruit and vegetable eaters. She buys meat at the local butcher every day because she prefers fresh food to frozen whenever possible. “Fortunately the Franklins staff know our family now and expect me to arrive at the checkout with a heavily overloaded trolley, but I sometimes get strange looks from people in the queue behind me who are probably in awe of the sheer volume of food going into my shopping bags!”

•Managing the Cooking : “Cooking and eating is a very big part of our family life,” says Jackie, “and so family life tends to revolve around the kitchen. It’s definitely the engine-room of the house! Previously, when all the kids were at home, I’d start preparing dinner around 2pm or 3pm, but I’ve never found it terribly challenging. I guess I just automatically pace myself depending on how many people I expect to be at any given meal.”