STYLE ETIQUETTE
Honour mealtimes with a meaningful table setting, says Melissa Penfold.
How to create a spectacular dining experience every day.
THIS PANDEMIC MAY change entertaining for years to come. An overall trend towards smaller-scale, intimate meals that focus on close family and friends doesn’t mean you can’t create a spectacular dining experience. Even if you live in a shoebox, honour mealtimes and your presence at the table. Use a beautiful cloth or display a bunch of berries with a loaf of fresh bread, which sends a positive message every time you sit down to a meal: “I care about myself”.
WHAT TO DO DAILY A candle and low lighting are great for setting the mood. Use your best plates and glassware. Go for plates that will make food look delicious and wellbalanced glasses with good proportions. Whatever is a joy to use. Ask what works best? What looks good? What do I like most? Set your table with these.
TABLETOPS Setting the table is like dressing yourself. Look for quality, balance and character. Choose natural fabrics and finishes, sparkling glassware and cutlery. The knives should have sharp cutting edges. Buy a decent pepper mill and fill salt cellars generously with sea salt flakes.
MAKE THE TABLE A CANVAS A house is like a museum of you – the places you’ve been, the things you’ve collected or inherited – and the table is a microcosm of that. It’s somewhere you can reflect your personality and your heritage. The more personal the table, the better.
KEEP IT INFORMAL AND FREE-FLOWING Cover your dining table in linen sheets, adding lots of Georgian and Victorian candlesticks in brass and silver and fill them with candles from the hardware store or supermarket. LAYERING Bring beauty to the table. Stick to natural materials, such as wicker and rattan, then focus on plates, napkins and tablecloth, building layers of pattern and print, or contrasting dark shades with stronger colours. Keep it whimsical and fun.
EMBRACE IMPERFECTIONS Aim for a table display that’s earthy, elegant and looks real. Nothing contrived. Gather vessels such as old silver cups, soup terrines, serving bowls, stoneware jars and fill with flowers and leaves. Or, cover the table with lemons, oranges or apples – some loose, some tumbling from bowls – to add a fresh appeal. Do it boldly. It has to have impact.
ELEVATE THE ORDINARY Even a simple chicken pie from the freezer can be served arranged prettily on a nice plate with a sprinkle of herbs. Food doesn’t have to be fancy to look beautiful.