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9 Butler’s Tips for Impeccable Table Manners

The way you eat and behave at the table is still important, says Nicholas Clayton of The Guild of Professional English Butlers. His guidelines:

from Forbidden Advice
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1. Let your food cool of its own accord - don't blow on it.

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2. Don't spit unwanted food into your napkin - remove it with your fork and place it on the side of your plate.

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3. Never talk with your mouth full.

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4. Don't hold your knife poised as if ready to sign a cheque, and don't point with any of your cutlery.

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5. A napkin is there to protect your clothes; use it to dab the corners of your mouth but never to polish your teeth.

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6. Never cut bread or bread rolls. Break the bread with your fingers and butter a small piece at a time. Breakfast toast is the only exception.

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7. Be careful not to insult your host by adding salt before you have tasted your food.

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8. When you've finished eating, place your knife and fork or spoon and fork together, vertically. Leave your plate where it is - never push it away from you.

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9. Don't get drunk; you'll look absurd.

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Your Comments

  • Carolina_D

    Wait. I’m not sure how to remove food from my mouth with a fork. It could be painful. (Usually you don’t realize how bad it tastes until you’ve chewed it once or twice.)  I know it’s ‘bad form’ to spit chewed food into a linen napkin, but sometimes there’s no alternative. (I am 50-something and have probably spit something out less than 5 times in my (adult) life. Once it was a bad clam and once it was something with FAR too much chili peppers. When a food is offensive one only thinks about getting it out of one’s mouth ASAP!) So, I’m not taking THIS rule seriously. If I offend someone, well I do apologize if I do this.

    • Bibliophilist

      I find gently and discretely discarding food into a napkin much better that maneuvering a fork in my mouth to place it on the side of the plate. Just remember to not use that napkin for anything again during the meal!

  • Bibliophilist

    The napkin. I always ask for two – one to guard my clothes, the other to dab the corners of the mouth or take care of spills etc that may occur.

  • Bibliophilist

    Salt. Get rid of the ‘adding salt’ altogether. Learn to enjoy food without all the added salt. The overabundance of salt is NOT good for your body.