EuroMillions jackpot winner Adrian Bayford has planted a vineyard the size of six football pitches on his sprawling country estate.
The 53-year-old, who scooped a bumper £148million on the lottery in 2012, has planted grape vines in his property close to the border of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.
Photos show how the 40,000 square metres plant nursery – which is the size of six football pitches – has already seen the Meunier vines, which are one of the three types of grape used in Champagne, take root in the English soil.
When fully grown the vines are expected to produce up to 25,000 bottles of wine every year, with the first harvest set to take place in two years time.
While his grapes could share a heritage with the world famous drink, Bayford will not be allowed to use that title for his produce as champagne can only be called so if it is from the French region of the same name.
The father-of-two is believed to have planted Meunier grapes after being inspired by his fiancée Tracey Biles, 45, who he became engaged to over Christmas – the fourth proposal he has made since his massive win in 2012.
The couple, who are set to get married this summer, had tried to sell the country pile for £12m last year but were forced to take it off the market.
‘It’s fantastic to see Adrian using his fortune to explore new ventures. It shows what a fantastic influence Tracey is on him,’ a friend told The Sun in April. ‘Hopefully we’ll all be able to buy Chateau Bayford soon.’
The former postman had won his big prize with his ex-wife Gillian but the pair decided to split the next year.
They divided the winnings with Mrs Bayford moving back to Scotland while Mr Bayford continued living in the former mansion they had bought in Cambridgeshire.
The father-of-two’s vineyard could end up being a profitable venture, if the climate in the UK gets warmer.
Jane Clare, of wine blog One Foot in the Grapes, previously said: ‘If Mr Bayford is planting grapes to make fizz, he’ll be adding his own sparkle to our home-grown wines which are taking off.
‘As our climate gets warmer, it is easier to ripen these grapes to a quality which in turn can create quality sparkling wines.’
It is not the first time Mr Bayford has tried his hand in the world of business.
His ventures from a music festival to a record shop and even renting out one of his cottages on Airbnb led friends to previously question if he understands ‘how rich he really is’ and said it is ‘mad’ that he would chose to make money off a holiday home.
In 2017 and 2018 he attracted 2,000 revellers to his ‘mini Glastonbury’ festival held on his estate.
The Cambridge Rock Festival is a four day festival where tickets would start at £129, increasing up to £139, £149 and £159. The event usually features around 60 rock bands and sees music played until 11pm each night.
Last year, however, he was forced to cancel the event because the local council refused to provide him with a licence.
Making another savvy decision to earn yet more cash, Mr Bayford also decided to rent out a private cottage on his private estate on Airbnb.
The three-bed farmhouse is just 240 feet from the millionaire’s mansion and is listed for around £110 a night. Bayford’s earnings would reportedly earn him a similar figure to what he earns in interest from the £148million jackpot in just 13 minutes.
The Airbnb in Cambridgeshire is described by the host as ‘tastefully decorated’ with a modern kitchen/diner, cosy living room, downstairs WC, master bedroom, twin room, single room and a bathroom.
Guests can also enjoy a private garden with a patio and seating area.
In July this year he put a second cottage from his estate on Airbnb, with the three-bedroom property going for £172 a night and earning rave reviews from customers.
Friends raised concerns about him allowing people to stay on the grounds with him, saying they were concerned for his safety and that he did not need strangers peering into his home.
Bayford put his eight-bedroom Grade II listed Georgian mansion on the market four years ago, but eventually decided to remain there and his new fiancée Tracey Biles has since moved in with him.
The house was originally built for racehorse trainer Stanlake Batson in 1815 and Bayford paid about £6.5 million for the house in 2012.
In 2018, he decided to use some of his lump sum by reopening his old record shop.
Mr Bayford, who is a big rock music fan, began his second hand music career by selling old CDs on a market stall more than 20 years ago.
He later opened up his shop called the Suffolk Music Centre, selling music and memorabilia in Queen Street, Haverhill.
Mr Bayford was on his way to work when he bought his winning ticket from a nearby newsagents in August, 2012.
He took a short holiday with his wife and children after being presented with his cheque and was back behind the counter just two weeks later.
He had vowed to continue working at his rented shop, but ended up closing down just four months later after reportedly becoming fed up with abuse from people coming in and demanding money off him.
He held a closing down sale in the run up to Christmas 2012, charging customers £20 for up to 20 second hand CDs or film DVDs.
The reopening of the shop six years ago was welcomed by locals in the community, however, they said the venture was a distraction for him after becoming unlucky in love.
It came after his stable girl fiancée Samantha Burbidge walked out on him the previous year.
A few years ago he also purchased The Rose and Crown pub in a nearby village for £375,000 but fell out with bar staff and locals, so while he still owns it, he rarely visits.