The soup is ready, the confit de canard is cooking in the oven and the trifle is stiffening in the fridge. This is going to be a treat! After all that effort in the kitchen, a perfectly laid table is a must. Such a table not only looks inviting, your guests also have everything within easy reach without you having to keep running back and forth with new glasses, plates and cutlery. But how do you arrange the glasses and cutlery? Relax! After reading this blog, you'll know all the ins and outs of table etiquette.
Table etiquette: the signs
When setting the table, start by putting the plates down. If your dinner consists of several dishes, place the corresponding plates on the table in the correct order. In practice this means that the largest plate goes at the bottom and the smallest on top. The largest (lower) plate does not always have a culinary function. So why do we put it on the table anyway? An under plate protects your guests from uncomfortable situations if food is accidentally spilled. It does not stain the tablecloth. In addition, such an under plate also looks nice and chic. If you prefer to serve each dish directly on a plate from the kitchen, just put the underplate on the table and place the new course on it. Starting your dinner with a sandwich? For this, place a small plate with a butter knife to the left above the lower plate.
Help: where is which cutlery located?
A fancy dinner party is the perfect opportunity to finally show off that beautiful 24-piece cutlery set. Because as with the plates, you can put all the cutlery you need on the table ahead of time. For each dish, think about what cutlery is needed and then place it next to the plates in such a way that your guests can always use the outer cutlery for the next course. Forks come to the left of the plate, knives and spoons are on the right. Forks and spoons with the concave side up, knives with the sharp cutting edge inward. Cutlery for dessert is placed above the plate. You often use a spoon and/or fork for this. Place the spoon with the handle to the right and the fork with the handle to the left.
Setting the table: here are the glasses
Glasses are always to the right of the plate, above the cutlery and in an angled arrangement. You start at the top left with the water glass, slightly to the right below that comes the red wine glass. You finish the row with the smaller white wine glass. If your dinner entails an entire wine pairing, you maintain this row of glasses and put additional wine glasses (for courses 3, 4 and 5) behind them. You use the glasses closest to the plate first, exactly the opposite of the cutlery. If someone indicates at the beginning of dinner that he/she does not drink wine, remove his/her wine glasses. If you start dinner with a glass of champagne, then this glass is placed to the left of the water glass.
The right place for the napkin
Of course, a napkin should not be missing on your perfectly set table. Are you hesitating between a paper napkin or a cloth napkin? A paper napkin is quickly arranged and you can quickly switch colors. A cloth napkin, on the other hand, has a more luxurious look and its soft feel adds comfort to dinner.
- On top of the board
- On the table, to the left of the forks
- Left on the lower sign
The idea is for guests to partially unfold the napkin, as soon as they sit down at the table, and place it on their laps. Should they want to wipe their mouths during the meal, the napkin is quickly at hand.
Enjoy your meal!
