Using Cutlery 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.