Cutlery

I have cake forks that I use often, but the sugar tongs and spoon just sit in the drawer..

No I don't but I do have a drawer full and still have two wooden canteens of cutlery. How dated is that? When my DC come to clear the house I expect they will all be "dumped".

What's "old fashioned about soup spoon/dessert spoon/ dessert fork/bread knife/ napkin ring or whatever? I use all of the above but no longer use a designated "butter knife" although we do have little wooden mustard spoons! I hope ethelt and others approve of me doing my best to keep up standards

I use a soup spoon too. Snap annsixty - I have a drawer full of cutlery plus two full canteens.

I only used the words 'old fashioned' as I know that is what my DS will call them when he is clearing our the family home.

I am pleased to see that DS does try to get my 2 grandsons to use their cutlery properly. One of them much prefers to use his fingers and he is almost 4 !

Soup spoons are designed for eating soup. They hold a mouthful of sloppy soup, carry it safely to the mouth, and can be tipped into the mouth sideways.

Dessertspoons are not for soup - they are for more solid stuff and they have to be put into the mouth square on - which means your elbow has to stick out. Try that with a dessertspoon of liquid, and you are likely to get the lot in your lap, particularly if the table is crowded.

Tablespoons are not for soup, they are too big to eat with. For some reason, some restaurants seem to think that a tablespoon is OK for eating soup. It is not.

Dessert forks are for breaking up desserts - a spoon alone is not sufficient for a dessert with pastry in it and trying to break through with a spoon can send shards across the table.

A piece of cloth laid across your lap is to catch anything that does fall before it hits your clothes - and postpone laundering them.

And so on and so forth. Go back a few hundred years, and you would be eating with your own knife (kept in a sheath in your belt) with a horn spoon for soups, plus your fingers of course. All these new implements came into use to make eating a cleaner, more civilised activity.

People now think that is outdated.

I don't possess fish knives or forks but I do own and use regularly, soup spoons and dessert forks. Also a butter knife which I inherited from MiL.

My brother bought mum n dad a boxed canteen of cutlery for their silver wedding anniversary. I don't think one item ever came out of the box.

We have just used our soup spoons.

I have fish knives, forks and fish servers but I never use them.

I use cream spoons, a spoon and small fork for dessert or a smaller fruit spoon for trifle and suchlike and the butter knife inherited from my MIL - or else an old table knife with a flat blade which must be 150 years old which I use to spread butter!

Elegran, as usual you took the words right out of my mouth, but delivered them more eloquently than I could have done! I use all the appropriate cutlery and napkin for my solitary meals, simply because they do the job better. There is nothing posh about my cutlery though, I am still using the stainless steel sets that were a free gift from Kelloggs in the 60s.

I use a soup spoon for cereal with milk, as well as for soup!

Oh I remember those shysal and think you could have an initial engraved on them.Is that so?

Yes, we use soup spoons, cake forks, fish knives and napkins regularly and have little mother of pearl handled butter knives for entertaining. I probably wouldn't bother with the fish knives but we have them and DH likes them. We are using our wedding present cutlery from 1972 (Viners Love Story).

Our wedding present crockery was Hornsea Saffron which hasn't been used much. I am now starting to use it a bit more as it is now stylish as opposed to just old fashioned.

The cutlery I inherited from my parents nearly 40 years ago when they died, on the whole is unused which is a pity. I imagine mine will be dumped also when my house is cleared. I feel that I cannot get rid of it although it takes up a fair amount of space.

We use soup spoons regularly, and sometimes cake forks. I have a canteen of Sheffield plate that my father gave us for a wedding present 48 years ago, which we use on high days and holidays. We used to dine people regularly, but don't so much these days. All our regular dining friends are popping off at an alarming rate (nothing to do with my cooking - just anno domini!). I like to see the table set out with silver and good linen. DD asked if she could borrow my napkin rings this Christmas, so maybe that's one thing that won't get thrown out when we go! I was also given a lovely set of silver ladles, one for soup and the other for sauce, but have never used them. Drawerful of stainless steel in what is fast becoming mixed patterns for everyday.

Oh, and no fish eaters. They crop up regularly at auctions we attend but I've never seen anyone bid for a set! Didn't someone write a poem which began "send for the fish knives, Norman"?

Always use soup spoons and for cakes and sponges with filling we always use a cake fork. Just makes thing easier.

Those of you with inherited crockery or cutlery, do please use it. What a shame to just have it hidden away.

Ah, fish knives. The very mention brings John Betjeman to mind and his "How To Get On In Society". A clever, sideways view on people who try to "better" themselves.

classsystem.blogspot.co.uk/2010/12/phone-for-fish-knives-norman.html

I use small a cake fork when I have a sliced banana with my Ryvita and cheese.

I also have some small bowl shaped tea spoons which I suspect are for eating grapefruit, which I am not allowed as I am on statins, but enjoy using when eating my yoghurt and nuts.

Great poem Gracesgran.

I use soup spoons though DH won't, he says it's too big for his mouth. Also use butter knives, cake forks and egg spoons.

Tell him it is too big for his mouth because he tries to put it in straight on, instead of tipping in the soup from the side. Really, you can't take some people anywhere! Send him for an etiquette course!

We use them, all inherited. I wouldn't mind not, though, it's DBH who insists. I would like a whole load of modern cutlery instead. I would happily dispose of fish knives, but not my cute little butter knives. We also use napkins. I have grapefruit knives and oyster knives, too. As they do their job very well, it can only be lack of storage space that has made them go out of fashion.

We use them all at the weekends, along with nicer china. I think it's sad to have nice things and never use them. We went to look at cutlery services just before xmas, but many of them didn't even have matching serving spoons so we are waiting a bit longer before we ditch the fish knives.

Oh Ruby we also had Hornsea Saffron as wedding gifts but alas I have none left now. Careless in washing up I chipped a lot and eventually got rid of the last few bits at a car boot sale to make space for an unchipped new set of stuff.
I have everyday cutlery and a boxed canteen which comes out when we have more than 6 people sitting down at once! We always use soup spoons whe having soup but the cake forks & fish set (was my mums)and fish servers (MiLs) all need polishing so don't get used! I have my mum's bone handled tea knives which we use all the time at breakfast for buttering toast! I also have loads of linen serviette/napkins some with my name on (from boarding school!) but rarely use them! Also hand embroidered tea tray cloths and matching napkins, coffee and tea cups on display but not used (mugs!) Not sure why I do not get rid of them.....
My DD2 has her grandparents' carving fork and knife and uses those regularly. We toasted them on Christmas day!

I love using 'old fashioned' cutlery, crystal glasses and linen napkins.
Our Sheffield plate cutlery is very heavy and the forks have big sharp prongs, so that is rarely used.

I like to use a crystal glass whenever I have a drink of wine. It doesn't matter if they get broken, ( although I try not to ) as I buy oddments from antique and charity shops. I try to match them in a themed way, size or design of stem.

Linen napkins do not have to be an old design, JL do some lovely ones, just bought 8 in their sale for £1 each.

Our wedding present China is rarely used, as it doesn't go in the dishwasher and the Denby just lasts and lasts! x