hello my name is William Hansen I'm executive director of the English manor and today we're talking table manners and this is advice that is applicable in any situation from the grandest of garlic dinners to the most simple kitchen supper with the family and we're all doing quite a few of those at the moment here are my top five tips for flawless time let's begin napkins on earth [Music] as I said many times before good manners are selfless not selfish which means they are about other people so we wait for everyone at the table to have
a place of food in front of them before we start eating don't begin if a few people don't have food likewise if you want to help yourself to anything that you see on the table make sure the people either side of you have it first before you help yourself I'd like some water my glass is empty but so are the glasses of the people either side of me so I'm going to give them some water first before I help myself remember manners in any setting about other people not you let's imagine there's a lovely plate
of food in front of me but I want to take a moment to answer a question my neighbor has just asked all to have a sip of my drink now we never place dirty cutlery back on the table instead we place the country in what we call the resting position and this is a very well-known position that lets people know that you are still eating but you're just having a slight pause here it is you placed a knife like this and the fork goes over the knife if you imagine the plate as the face of
a clock and the cutlery as the hands of a clock it's a 3:40 and this indicates that you're taking a moment you'll be resuming eating very shortly hi Joe no oh I know the dining table is always a foam free zone whether you're at home out and about having breakfast lunch tea dinner supper I don't care what you call it I don't care what time of day Mobile's away and when you're completely finished eating each course just like the resting position there's a way to place your knife and fork or fork and spoon whatever cutlery
you are using and it goes together on the plate like so now in Britain we would do it like this but in some parts of the world you might see it at a slight angle like steak now you know my five top tips for flawless dining you can go forth and eat elegantly whatever time of day phones away [Music]