Shannon Del Vecchio's blog

With the holidays approaching, it seems like a useful time to review the conventions for setting a formal table. Our tabletop conventions here in America have their roots in British tradition, where the classical progression of courses is as follows: cocktails/appetizers, soup, fish, meat/fowl, salad, dessert, coffee. The traditional British table setting, including glassware, is set up to follow this progression exactly, as shown in this sketch (click to enlarge).

But let’s be honest – have you ever served a meal in your home that followed this exact parade of courses? I’m guessing not. Americans love to entertain, but very rarely in this fashion. Even at the most lavish of gatherings, we often serve meals in a buffet format, rendering course order less relevant, and we generally start with salad.

So does this mean the rules for setting a proper British table are irrelevant to us? Not at all. In fact, the basic structure of the British tabletop has shown tremendous staying power when you consider the fact that it has crossed continents and been in the hands of us notoriously informal Americans for so many years now.

Bread and butter, for example – still in its classical position above the plate and to the left. Glassware – above the plate and to the right. Forks on the left, knives and spoons on the right. These conventions are so ingrained that for most of us they feel like second nature. It’s only when moving into multiple courses of cutlery and glassware that things start to get fuzzy for many… So here are the modern rules: Continue reading →