Sisters Sarah Glazebrook-Milner and Clarrie Dale run The Country Office, an award-winning agricultural bookkeeping practice rooted in the family dairy farm where they grew up.
Their journey into bookkeeping wasn’t planned from childhood, but both found themselves drawn back to the land they love and to work that fits the life they wanted to lead.
Clarrie was the first to discover a natural place in the family business. After helping her Dad with farm admin, she realised that she could make a real difference. As their accountant said at the time, “Clarrie can make you more money by being in the house doing the accounts, and you can be outside busy doing the farm.” She went on to study bookkeeping, discovered she had a talent for it, and gradually built up experience and confidence supporting local farms.
Sarah’s path took her further afield. After university, she built a successful career in London in sales, production and supply chain, travelling to factories around the world. But city life and the traditional working day didn’t suit her. “It was really inflexible,” she says. “It wasn’t right for me. I wanted to do something that solved a problem and made a difference.” When she returned home to Shropshire and started her family, she began looking for work that would fit around her children and allow her to contribute to the rural community she loved.
It was the perfect moment for the two sisters to join forces. Clarrie had the deep agricultural knowledge and hands-on bookkeeping expertise; Sarah brought commercial experience and a fresh perspective. Together, they created The Country Office – a practice built around flexibility, community and family.
“I like managing my own diary,” Clarrie explains. “If I need a bit of time, I’m in control of that.” That balance has been central to the way they’ve grown the business. They built their client base slowly and organically, learning as they went, staying close to their clients and offering a personal service. Today, they work with farms across Shropshire, visit clients on site, and keep their office on the family farm. They’ve recently taken on their first staff members and are looking ahead with confidence.
Their hard work was recognised at the 2025 LUCA Awards, where they won Agricultural Bookkeeper of the Year. The result took them completely by surprise. “I don’t think we thought we were going to win,” says Sarah. “It was a real shock and such a special moment.” The win has brought national coverage in the farming press and given their business a real boost. “We got off the train and thought, gosh, we’ve got a lot to act on now,” Clarrie remembers.
Both sisters are clear about the difference that ICB membership has made. They attended the Bookkeepers Summit for the first time this year because of their LUCA nomination, and left feeling inspired.
“We absolutely loved the summit,” Sarah says. “We came away feeling so motivated. Everybody was so friendly. We’d 100% go again next year.”
They particularly value the practical support on offer. “ICB has so much to offer – the webinars, the support, the updates. It’s really valuable. Wages Wednesday is really great. We’re only just discovering everything ICB offers” says Sarah.
Clarrie has also benefited from mentoring through the IAgSA community: “Helen Cookson in particular was so motivating and inspiring… I’m grateful for her pushing me. I probably wouldn’t have gone down this route when I did without her.” The shared experience of other bookkeepers has helped them shape their services, streamline their processes, and build confidence as business owners.
A practice built on community
Although their business is growing, Sarah and Clarrie remain committed to their roots. They still work on or around the family farm, support their husbands’ farming businesses, and enjoy being part of a strong local network. They are determined to keep visiting clients in person and staying closely connected to the farmers they support. As Clarrie says, “For some of our clients, we can be the only person they see. That relationship and trust really matters.”
From flexible working to raising young families, from doing the early compliance jobs to winning national awards, The Country Office is a great example of what can happen when bookkeepers combine expertise, community spirit and the freedom to work in a way that suits their lives.
