Ask Mrs Figgins
- Free Advice & opinion on everyday issues – marriage, children, friendship, love, etiquette, politics & faith – dispensed by Mrs Figgins with common sense & good old-fashioned-values!

 

Informal Table Setting Ideas

 Table Setting Etiquette:

 

For many sitting in front of endless cutlery and glassware at a dinner table, (especially at formal functions) is intimidating!  Which pieces belong to whom?  Which fork do I pick up first?  Is this glass mine or the person next to me?  

 

Don’t fret!  Just familiarize yourself with the basics and the rest will fall into place.

 

Here are a few simple tips will help you with formal or informal table setting etiquette.

 

 

Cutlery:  GOLDEN RULE: ALWAYS work from the “outside, in”    

Informal Entertaining

Dinner plate:   This is the first thing to be set on the table, and may serve as your guide to placement.. 

 Napkin:  The napkin may be folded or  put in a napkin ring and placed either to the left of the forks or on the center of the dinner plate.  You may instead choose to place a folded napkin under the forks, if that is your preference..

1-2 Knives:   Always to the right, and forks are always to the left.

2 Forks:  Place the forks to the left of the plate..   The larger of the two forks, the “dinner fork”   is used for the main course;  the smaller fork is used for the  salad or appetizer.     The forks are arranged according to when you will need to use them.   Therefore, if the  small fork is needed for an appetizer or a salad served before the main course, then it is placed on the left (outside) of the dinner fork.  Or, if the salad is served after the main course, then the small fork is placed to the right (inside) of the dinner fork, and next to the plate.

1 Dinner knife:  The dinner knife is set immediately to the right of the plate.  Make sure the “cutting” edge faces inward, toward the plate.   If the main course is meat, a steak knife can take the place of the dinner knife.  At an informal meal, the dinner knife may be used for all courses.  Only clean silverware should be placed on the table.  No exceptions!

• The soup spoon, if needed, will always be on the extreme right if being served as a first course, or second in from the right if being served as a second course.

• Dessert cutlery will always be at the top of the place setting with the fork facing right and the spoon positioned above this with the bowl facing left.

2 Spoons:    Spoons go to the right of the knife.  If the  soup is being served first,  the soupspoon should be set to the far (outside) right of the dinner knife. 

The teaspoon or dessert spoon, which will be used last, goes to the left (inside) of the soupspoon, next to the dinner knife.

 2 Glasses:   Drinking glasses of any kind – water, wine (juice or tea) – are placed at the top right of the dinner plate, above the knives and spoons.

Depending on how many different wines are being served, they will normally be positioned above the knives. They should be placed with the water glass to the extreme left, and then followed in the order for which they will be used, working from left to right. For example:

Water – Champagne – White Wine- Red Wine – Dessert Wine

Optional Dishes and Utensils:   Depending on what is being served, other dishes and utensils are optional.  The following may or may not be included:

Salad plate:    Should be placed to the left of the forks..

Bread plate with butter knife:   If used, the bread plate goes above the forks, with the butter knife placed diagonally across the edge of plate.  The handle should be on the right side with the blade facing down.

Dessert spoon and fork:   May be  placed either  beside the plate or horizontally above the dinner plate (the spoon on top with its handle facing to the right; the fork below with its handle facing left).  If placed beside the plate, the fork goes on the left side, closest to the plate (because it will be the last fork used) and the spoon goes on the right side of the plate, to the right of the dinner knife and to the left of the soupspoon.

Coffee cup and saucer:   The coffee cup and saucer are may be placed  above and to the right of the knife and spoons.  At home, it is common to serve coffee after the meal.  Cups and saucers are brought to the table and placed above and to the right of the knife and spoons.

Business Etiquette, Etiquette, Favorite Finds, How To