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Before you make the effort to prepare a meal it’s worth taking time beforehand to lay the table properly so that you, and your guests if you’re entertaining, can enjoy the fruits of your labour in style. We’ve come a long way from the early 17th century when elaborate dining table displays were a complicated form of expression to demonstrate wealth and social status, but we still enjoy the ritual of setting the table at home, even for one, and here are some elegant ways to create a really beautiful tablescape that will enhance your dining experience.
Everyday Dining Table Setting
We might not all have a butler to measure the distance between our soup spoon and fish knife but there remains a basic set of principles for place settings to ensure each diner has everything they need to hand, and even if you're getting things ready for an everyday dinner or a weekend breakfast, it’s good to know how to set a table properly.
For casual events, a basic table setting includes a placemat, cutlery (fork, knife, and spoon), a dinner plate, a water tumbler or drinking glass and a napkin. Lay the placemat on the table and the dinner plate in the middle of the placemat. Lay the napkin to the left of the plate. Place the fork on the napkin. To the right of the plate, place the knife closest to the plate, blade pointing in.
Place the spoon to the right of the knife, or above the plate with the handle pointing right. Place the water glass slightly above the plate where 1 p.m. would be on a clock face.
Placemats are a good way to create a space for each diner, it’s worth investing in a couple of sets so that you always have a clean, coordinated set that compliments the food you are serving or the theme you are creating. Linen mats should always be pressed and clean.
Seagrass or bamboo mats are a nice natural alternative to textile mats and add texture and warmth to the scene, but it’s also important to make sure they are clean and crumb-free. For everyday meals and snacks it’s okay to use paper napkins, but a linen napkin is always a nice touch, even when it’s boiled eggs and soldiers! It’s up to you how coordinated you want to be. Mix and match colours and patterns can work brilliantly for an informal eclectic style and sometimes individual family members like to choose and stick to their own. 
Casual Dining Guide - For Guests and Friends
Now we have nailed the basics we can get creative. Depending on the cuisine you are serving, you can choose to style your table to suit the vibe.
A Moroccan tagine would make an interesting centrepiece to a North African inspired meal, or napkins printed with a nautical, seaside theme compliment a friday night fish supper.
But let’s start with the classic British traditional place setting. You might be plating up the food at the kitchen counter which keeps the table setting to a minimum, but when it comes to serving-bowls and oven-to-table dishes you can really add colour or flair to a table.
Don’t forget to use heat-proof mats where hot dishes will be placed on the table, but make them part of the design by choosing beautiful ones that look good with the rest of the tableware. Also invest in some good serving spoons and forks. Meals with sauces or gravy, such as a traditional roast, deserve a really lovely gravy boat or sauce pot that’s big enough for plenty of second helpings.
Other condiments such as mustard can be put on the table in their jars, but keep things tidy and clean by storing them in a basket, wooden bowl or straight sided dish.
Sharing platters and tapas style plates and bowls are another key feature of informal gatherings where you want to encourage your guests to feel relaxed and comfortable handling and passing the dishes around.
Formal Table Setting Guide:
For special occasions and memorable meals you can really go to town, Brigerton style, with your table decoration, and it starts with the tablecloth. Nothing says luxury and quality better than crisp, freshly pressed linen and napkins.
On top of that foundation you can add table runners or placemats, chargers, coasters, fresh flowers and even name holders.
The charger was traditionally an extra large plate suitable for a whole roast meat dish and gravy fit for a king, but today it serves as an attractive way to add impact to a place setting and make your guests feel like royalty.
The etiquette of the table layout gets a little more interesting for formal occasions when you are serving a three or four course meal, as there’ll be extra cutlery to think about. Starters that require a knife and fork will usually only need a small set which are placed on the outside of the main ones.
A soup course will, naturally, require a soup spoon which is placed to the right of the dinner knife, you can place the butter knife in between, or on the side plate for bread which is to the left of the table setting. Be sure to provide adequate glassware for your guests, (and keep them topped up!) Glasses are arranged in the top right hand corner of the setting in order of size, from the largest to the smallest. In general, glasses for red wine are larger than those for white wine. The correct arrangement is: the water glass, then to the right the red wine glass, and even further to the right the white wine glass
An iced water jug on the table is always appreciated and can become a feature in itself filled with slices of citrus fruit, sprigs of fresh mint or rosemary. These days glassware needn’t cost the earth and there are some really elegant timeless styles that are worth buying plenty of, in case of after-dinner breakages!
Another table feature that provides accent colour, and a simple and effective way to enhance the drama, atmosphere and intimacy of a special meal is with candles or a centrepiece with flowers. 
However you set your table, make sure you do it in good time, long before dinner is ready. Then you can sit back, relax and enjoy some quality time socialising with friends and family. It’s so worth it.
