At Aunt Mary's farmhouse, Leigh Court in Gloucestershire, tea time was a daily occurrence at 5:00 p.m. You could set your watch by it! Leigh Court was a dairy farm and everyone had been up and working since early morning. Breakfast was served at 8:00 a.m. and dinner was at 1:00 p.m. Both were robust meals. Tea was the last meal of the day.

Everything stops for tea-and we don't just mean a cup of tea. In this charming little book, Victoria artist Sarah Amos shares the traditions of afternoon tea with recipes and stories brought over from her early years of British farm life. Enjoy a buttermilk scone, pecan rum square or a slice of almond cake and sit around the dining table with family and friends over endless cups of tea. At the heart of the book are Amos' own classic recipes, thoughtfully illustrated with her exquisite and vibrant artwork that has been created over the past 25 years. Both practical and delightful, Sarah's Tea Time is a book about heart and home.

Sarah Amos was born in rural England where cooking and painting were part of her family's tradition. After coming to Vancouver in 1968 she was associated with the Western Front Society of avant garde artists with whom she participated in performance and video activities. After extensive travel in Europe, Japan and Southeast Asia, she married artist and writer Robert Amos and settled in the lovely seaside city of Victoria on Vancouver Island in 1981. That turned out to be the perfect place to paint, garden and raise their two daughters. You can see more of Sarah Amos` artwork on her website at www.sarahamos.com.

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Inspires longing for a tradition few people have established in these so-called modern times. The book is deliciously old fashioned all the way around. —Ladysmith Chronicle