Our Tuesday Tip is a bit longer but probably something we all wonder. We have combined a formal place setting and a casual place setting into one setting for however you may be serving this year.
Quick rules of thumb:
- Only set out the utensils needed for your meal.
- Silverware is placed in order of use from outside in. Soup (right spoon, the larger of the spoons), Salad (outside left smaller fork), Dinner (inside left larger fork), Dinner knife (inside right).
- If you aren’t serving soup but are serving pasta then the spoon on the right side is used for that. If you aren’t serving either then don’t set out a spoon.
- The knife goes to the right of the plate with the sharp side facing towards the plate.
- The dinner plate is on the bottom, the salad plate on top of the dinner plate, and the soup bowl on top of salad plate. If you aren’t serving soup, don’t set out a bowl. It would just be the two plates. If you aren’t serving a salad or soup, only set out a dinner plate.
- Dessert utensils go to the top of the dinner plate. These are the smaller forks (same size as salad) and smaller spoons (smaller than the soup/pasta spoons). Only set out the utensils you need.
- The bread plate is at the top left. If you don’t have butter knives for everyone that is fine. Just place a knife with the butter on the table.
- The napkin can go either beside the forks or under the forks. I prefer beside if there is enough room so I don’t have to move any utensils. I was taught to have the folded side of the napkin next to the forks and the open corner at the top left to make it easy to grab and place in your lap. You can also fold it fancy and place it inside the soup bowl or on top of the plate(s).
- The glasses are at the top right. If you aren’t serving wine, only set out the glass for water or tea.
- Have the bottom of the plate and all the utensils even, approximately one inch (or one thumbnail) from the bottom edge of the placemat so everything looks nice and neat.
- Most of all, enjoy your dinner with your family and friends. Don’t fret if you don’t have all the pieces needed. Mix and match with what you have or even set it with disposable plates and utensils. That can look just as beautiful.