If you have bought silver cutlery then you must be sure you know how to use it - this article talks you through how to set the table properly.
If you have bought yourself some silver cutlery because you want to
use it at a formal dinner, that doesn't mean you know how to use it at a
formal dinner! But fortunately it is very simple to know what to do and
once you've done it once, the cutlery will end up in the right place
the next time.
There is a specific order for the cutlery to be
placed in, so once you know what that is, you should be good to go. The
cutlery pieces that are farthest away from the plate are what are used
first, so it is best to place these first of all. As usual, knives are
placed to the right of the plate, and the forks go to the left.
You
may be used to always setting the cutlery on the table by putting the
spoons at the top, but when setting cutlery for a formal dinner you
should place them to the right if they are to be used for starters, even
further away from the plate than the knives. This is because the spoon
is used first. Any dessert spoons still go in front of the plate.
Knives
should be placed in the bread basket for bread buttering, but you or no
one should use this knife to cut the bread, that is something you do by
hand at a formal dinner.
Once you have placed all of the
cutlery correctly, you now want to arrange the glasses. On the right
hand side you should place red wine glasses, followed by white wine and
water glasses from right to left. If champagne flutes were to be used,
these would be placed farthest to the right.
You have to act formally as well as presenting the cutlery
formally, so ensure you don't rest your elbows on the table when
eating. An easy mistake to make is lowering your mouth towards the
cutlery, but this is actually the wrong way to do things. The cutlery
should be raised to your mouth. Also, don't act like a child and cut up
your food, such as a steak, into pieces all at once, just cut is bit by
bit and eat as you cut it!
Hopefully this has shown you how to
set the cutlery on your table properly for a formal dinner. If the
cutlery is laid out like we have suggested here, then you have nothing
to worry about. Remember that once you have completed your meal, put the
cutlery on the place with the edge of the knife facing towards you.
