Phyllis Milles-Lade, Countess Sondes

The Countess Sondes is not a typical member of the British aristocracy in either her origin or her attitude. She represents the fusion of twenty-first century enterprise and insight, with centuries-old tradition.

An American by birth, Phyllis Kane lost her first husband only six and a half weeks after their marriage. Some years later, she was given a second chance of happiness when she met and fell dramatically in love with a handsome, swashbuckling Englishman in New York. In 1986, accompanied by the man of her dreams, the new Countess came to live in England, where she married her adventurer: Henry George Herbert, The Fifth Earl Sondes.

While enjoying overseas travel and the whirl of the City (where she still maintains the home she and her husband shared), The Countess rapidly embraced the natural beauty and rich farmlands of Lees Court Estate, the Sondes ancestral Estate of 4,500 acres in Kent.

Phyllis became a devotee of the English country way of life and the beauty of the traditional English countryside.

After 10 years of happiness and a heroic fight against cancer, The Earl Sondes died in 1996. Determined to maintain the land he loved, as an enduring tribute to his memory, The Countess Sondes has brought her own unique vision to the Lees Court Estate, seat of the Sondes family for over seven centuries.

Today, The Countess’ first priority is the Estate, and she takes these responsibilities very seriously. She is passionate about the Estate and committed to the community that lives and works on it.

Like many others who have made the land their life, she feels that the rural crisis today gripping the nation is a threat to this way of life.

To answer this challenge, The Countess Sondes believes it is essential to take the initiative and utilise the established assets of the countryside in new and progressive ways and to ensure that these concepts are marketed differently and creatively.

One concept developed by The Countess to diversify, is the launch of Seeds, her own innovative range of personal care products, initially using wheatgerm oil derived from wheat grown on the Estate. The oil used in the range is extracted using a specialist toxin free process, and is the first to be obtained this way in Britain. This toxin free extraction produces a pure oil, entirely free of any residue, preserving all natural vitamins and anti-oxidants. Seeds represents an inspirational farm diversification project.

The Countess is also very committed to other new revenue streams and Lees Court is one of the first farms producing specialist non-food crops (crops which are used in pharmaceutical, neutraceutical, personal care, industrial and bio-fuels). In 2003 the farm planted their first non-food crop, whose oil was extracted for the first time in the UK using the specialist extraction process. The oils from non-food crops will be used in the next Seeds range.

In addition to being one of the leading advocates of non-food crops in the UK, The Countess Sondes is also working with the United Nations to create a Global Farming Alliance.

None of this means, however, that she intends to compromise on the established traditions of the Estate. The Countess continues to run Lees Court Estate's renowned shoot and upholds the traditions, which help maintain the countryside way of life. She believes that in preserving this way of life, she is being true to both her husband and the 700 years of history before him. The Shoot has been listed in Alex Brant's book "The World's Best Shoots" published Septemter 2008.

The Countess also works alongside some of the most respected academic and scientific institutions in Britain. Two of which, The Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, are working with the Estate on a joint Research Project designed to evaluate the conservation and biodiversity (the different types of flora and fauna) benefits of management practices to conserve game. As part of this Project, a questionnaire was conducted on the 'Perceptions of Stakeholders on Gamebirds Shooting in Lowland Britain'.

The Countess Sondes is a Trustee of the Provender Trust, Patron of Friends of Lees Court, Advance, The Parkinson’s Appeal and Specialised Oncology Nurse Grants; a Director of Qualified Cancer Care and Gosmere Farms Partnership Ltd; and President of Sheldwich Cricket Club. She has spoken about her work at Lees Court and the messages of the countryside to various audiences, including television, radio, newspapers and magazine interviews, as well as lecturing.

The Countess Sondes has infused the Lees Court Estate with can-do American ingenuity, blending this with her understanding of its historical way of life and that of the English countryside. In essence, she has reinvented what it means to be a forward-thinking member of the aristocracy. The result is an exciting vision for the future of the countryside.