Just don’t mention Brexit! Tatler’s new dinner party rules
AROUND the dinner party table, no topic of conversation is usually off the menu.
But according to society bible Tatler, if you want your evening to be a success then you must ban any mention of Brexit.
The magazine has published a 12step guide to hosting a dinner party – a social occasion it claims is making a ‘mighty, long-awaited comeback’. It says: ‘Until now it has never been acceptable to veto the conversation.
‘But in these troubled times it is advisable to impose a Brexit moratorium. Nothing else is out of bounds.’
Other rules include not sending group emails about the event to ensure an air of mystery around who is coming, as well as making sure at least eight people are attending.
Tatler suggests the ideal dinner party should feature a mixture of friends, strangers, singles and couples.
Children are banned with the exception of coming to say hello to guests for a maximum of five minutes – and under no circumstances are they allowed to perform.
The party should start at 8pm for 8.30pm, and dinner should be dished up at 8.45pm as ‘serving the food later than 9pm is unacceptable’.
Female guests should dress in heels and frocks while men should wear jackets. But hosts should ‘never ask a woman in heels to take her shoes off... however plush the carpet’ because it ‘will ruin her outfit and her night’. A round table is the key to great conversation, but if you want flirtation, seat women at one side of a long table and men at the other.
Controversially, the host should not fret over catering for vegans or the gluten-intolerant, as fussy guests ‘should eat before and never mention it’.
And leaving before 11pm is a faux pas as it suggests the party was a flop.