Spoons and forks

Yes, jeni. If we have to have wars, let's have polite ones.

The judge and I like 'dyslexic fingers'

Polite wars!
"After you, sir!"
"No, after you!"
"I insist...."

[Snigger emoticon]

I went to a dinner quite a while ago now hosted by a Lady and there were other Lords and Ladies present and no dessert fork provided. I felt awkward chasing my pudding round the plate and watched what others did (always a good wheeze if in doubt) and blow me they used their fingers to pop the pud on the spoon! And so, with aplomb, did I

I'm quite curious to know what sort of puds or desserts need a fork!
Surely anything gloopy wouldn't need one? Trying to push custard onto your spoon with a fork would seem a bit pretentious, IMO.

You really cannot eat creme brulee with only a fork! or a Knickebocker Glory or Eton Mess. Spoon plus fork /fingers but not fork and fingers!

anagram Sweet tarts in tough pastry cases (Nellie where are you when needed?) ? Break through with fork, shovel up with spoon using fork to stop fragments from scattering all over table like shrapnel.

Exactly my manouvre Elegran! Well described!

A banana crepe with chocolate sauce required both implements to prevent its sliding off the plate.

Yes, I can see the point with tarts and other pastries, but not ordinary puds- I'm not saying forks only for anything!
We never had dessert forks at school dinners tables...

We did!

Well, there's posh for you!

Posh school Jeni

I was NOT believing Jilly Cooper, honestly. Just quoting. Though, in some situations, I have seen "just the fork" in action. And the finger pushing.

But the one thing I hate is the word "dessert" instead of pudding, or "serviette" instead of napkin. I am not having a go at anyone, it's just what I have learned over a varied life.

Maybe I should learn from earlier experiences here not to say what I actually think....Ah well.

Yes, it was horrible. I hated it!

Ariadne agree about pudding and napkin so will stand with you and face the flack!

I never say dessert in real life - I just copied it on here .
But I don't say napkin either, so I am half non-U!

Pudding (spoon and fork) and napkin, but I don't care what other people call them so long as I understand.

We had pudding forks at school dinners, but the only time I ever saw one used was when when a group of French students were there on an exchange. One of them was using a fork to try to eat runny school custard. Not the ideal implement (or the ideal custard)

So the consensus seems to be spoons AND forks and napkins rather than serviettes. That is such a relief.

And of course we have lavatories, not toilets, and drawing rooms or sitting rooms but never lounges.

But what about soup spoons? We eat/drink soup with soup spoons but an upper class aunt always served soup with table spoons (Georgian silver, of course). But we do know about tilting our bowls away from us and eating/drinking soup from the edge of the spoon!

Finally - well, not finally - there's the problem with fish knives and forks. I think this has already been discussed elsewhere but they do have a place and if you've been given a set, or inherited one, then it seems churlish not to use them. Yet they are rather non-U I gather.

Why is eating such a social minefield? And why are we such snobs?

But if I served soup followed by meat and two veg and then apple crumble I wouldn't have enough big spoons to go round-if six people sat down that would be 12 spoons over soup and pud + 2 in each bowl of veg- I would have to be rushing in and out washing spoons-I need my soup spoons and if I offered a fish course (I'm talking dinner party here) I would need fish knives and forks as I wouldn't have enough of the ordinary. I'm not sure if I care what posh people do-I don't think they've evolved enough

Tell 'em it's a 'Bring your own Cutlery' party - all the rage, apparently!

stansgran Do you have any friends who can lend you some cutlery? Or go to a charity shop - they usually have whole boxes full and are glad to get a couple of pounds for them..

Oh, were you serious, Stansgran?