Manners maketh a man. Indeed, manners are thought by some to be the foundation of a civilised society. Table manners have always been top of the list when it comes to displaying perfect manners, whether the cutlery you use is beautiful silver cutlery or every day stainless steel cutlery, the rules are the same. Last year, no fewer than five books were published on the subject of manners as the UK became more and more outraged at the rudeness witnessed in every day life. It’s time to take your elbows off the table, sit up straight and start acting your age, not your shoe size.

Cutlery – are you on a knife’s edge?

When it comes to how you use cutlery it can leave some of us feeling slightly faint. If you’re at a sophisticated banquet with numerous courses and more silver cutlery than you can count, it can be difficult to know where to start. The silver cutlery will be laid out appropriately – simply remember to start from the outside of the cutlery and work your way in. If in doubt, take a minute and wait for your fellow diners to start their meal so you can confidently follow suit.

Born with a silver spoon

Although not many of us were bought up in a lifestyle that featured lavish dinner parties, it’s expected that we can use day-to-day stainless steel cutlery correctly. When it comes to eating etiquette, here are a few necessary good manners:

• Never eat with your mouth open.
• You can hold your knife in two ways depending on whether you are more accustomed to silver cutlery rather than stainless steel cutlery – it’s purely a class distinction. You should never hold a knife as if it’s a weapon however.
• Seat and unseat yourself from the right.
• Keep any used silver cutlery or stainless steel cutlery on the plate, not on the table, placing your knife and fork side by side to indicate that you’ve finished.

Manners maketh a man

The fact that we are a nation bothered by manners may sound old fashioned but the popularity of Lynne Truss’s book on the subject, Talk to the Hand, shows otherwise. And an advert featuring a woman eating with her mouth open eating chicken prompted a record 1,671 complaints. In the old days, how you held your cutlery indicated your class and upbringing and where you stood on the social pecking order. Some believe the revival of table manners is not about class – it doesn’t matter if your cutlery is silver cutlery or stainless steel cutlery - but a reaction to a culture where meals are no longer about people sitting around the table, but sitting in front of the TV.  Table manners are not there to trip us up, but form a necessary function in society. As psychologist Dr George Erdos of the University of Newcastle told the BBC on the subject: “Manners are a ritualistic form of behaviour and they inculcate society in ways to enable normal socialising with members of our group,” he said. “They are a form of behaviour control.”

Glazebrook & Co specialises in offering quintessentially British silver and stainless steel cutlery of the very highest quality. For the ultimate wedding gift, Glazebrook has a range of cutlery, silver cutlery and stainless steel cutlery. Glazebrook takes pride in not only supplying the finest products, but in serving the needs of a broad client base; from the individual private buyer to the most prestigious of corporate and trade customers worldwide. The comprehensive range caters to a variety of tastes: from time-honoured, traditional English styles in solid sterling silver and silver plate, to more contemporary matt and mirror finish designs in ever practical stainless steel.
Whatever your choice, our focus is always on quality and style, and our commitment remains to offer superlative craftsmanship at exceptional value. To find out more, telephone: +44 (0) 20 7731 7135 or E-mail: sales@glazebrook.com.