Table Layout

'Layout'.....is it only about a knife, a fork and a plate???

Inviting guests at your home for an informal gathering or organizing a formal dinner, the table layout should be the first to be taken care of. Your guests might let go of a missing spice in your gravy, but that missing wine glass or the disoriented spoon will definitely put them off. Even if you are organizing a buffet meal, a little care and imagination to the table setting will make dining a pleasurable experience.

Here's a quick look into the steps that you can keep in mind while arranging your dining table :

1. Arrange for an appropriate, well-starched and stainless table linen;it is important for both buffets and sit-down meals. Matching the prints of the table cloth with the crockery gives a soothing appearance. You can even go for a second layer of plastic cover on your table to avoid the stains ('Vanish' doesn't work always :p).
If it is a formal dinner/lunch, always use fabric napkins. You can even incorporate an attractive napkin folding technique which will definitely bring you appreciation by your guests.

2. Enhance the table decor by a centrepiece or some fresh flowers. If you are hosting a dinner party, you can even place candles for some extra awesomeness ;) ; but make sure that you lit them before your guests enter the dining room and extinguish them only after they leave. 
For sit-down arrangements, take care of the height of the flowers or the decor piece; it shouldn't be a hindrance in the view of the guests while they chat across the table.

3. Depending upon the occasion and your taste and availability, you can use either silver, glass or china crockery. The most prevalent of course is Bone china flatware although I avoid using it due to the animal bone ash used in making it. If you have similar issues, you can go for dinner sets made of china clay. 
For parties with buffet services, the guests might not like the heavy china clay plates; you can then use flatware made of china without bone ash or melamine crockery and give them the comfort of moving around easily. Whatever crockery you are using, make sure it is without stains and not too gaudy and goes with your colour scheme.

4. At formal dinners & luncheons, you can also use place cards with the guests' names and ranks. The name can be either typed or written in running hand.

5. If it is a formal sit-down meal, the finest care goes into laying out the flatware by following the table layout guidelines :

(A) PLATES :
  a. The Service/ Cover plate : It is the largest of all plates generally used to hold the soup plate and removed after the first course. Although it is not in much use these days, but if you plan to include it, you can even go for silver or golden service plates, which will definitely add a classic look to your table.
 b. The Soup Plate : If the meal includes the soup course, the soup plate or bowl is placed on top of the service plate and removed along with the service plate.
 c. The Entree Plate : It is used to serve entree like cutlets, croquettes, fritters with their accompaniments likes sauce or gravy. It can also be used as a salad plate and in that case it is placed to the left of the forks about 2 inches  from the edge of the table.
d. The Dinner Plate : The main course which may include rice, curry, roasts is served in the Dinner plate which is set about 1 inch away from the table.
e. The Dessert Plate : It is used for desserts or cakes during tea. The size might vary from 7 to 8 inches across the rims.
f. The Butter Plate : It is the smallest of the plates and is generally called as the quarter plate. It is placed above the forks, to the left of the service plate. The butter knife rests on the butter plate.

(B) FORKS & SPOONS :
  The cutlery is always placed with the 'outside-in' rule which means that the piece which will be last used is placed directly next to the plate. All the forks are kept to the left of the plate and the spoons/knives to the right of it.
  a. The Fish fork : The furthest of the fork is the fish fork.You may follow either the continental style (fork tines placed downward) or the American style (fork tines placed upwards).
  b. The Salad fork : On the right of the fish fork is the salad fork. If salad is supposed to be served in the end, then it may be replaced by the Dinner fork.
 c. The Dinner fork : The closest to the plate is the Dinner fork.
 d. The Dessert spoon : It is laid above the dinner plate perpendicular to other forks, handle facing right.
 e. The Dessert fork : It is laid beneath the dessert spoon, handle facing left.
 f. The Dinner knife : It is placed directly next to the plate on the right, in sync with the dinner fork.
 g. The Fish knife : Placed on the dinner knife's right.
 h. The Soup spoon : This spoon is placed on the right of all the knives. It can also be used for fruits.
  i. The Oyster fork : This curved tine fork is placed on the right side of all the knives. It is the only fork to be placed on the right of the plate.
 j. The Butter knife : It is laid on the butter plate diagonally.

(C) GLASSES :
 The glassware can be arranged either in a line parallel to the table edge or at an angle to it. You can use crystal or cut glasses, or even fancy gold decorated glasses that go with the rest of the setting. 
The Water Goblet is placed above the dinner knife and the rest of the glasses are arranged to the right of the water tumbler in anti-clockwise direction in the order in which they would be required.

(D) The napkins can be placed either to the left of the last fork or in the center of the setting. Salt and pepper shakers can also be arranged above the cover or between two settings; the pepper shaker always stands to the left of the salt shaker.

Yes I can very well understand the pain of cooking a 3 course meal for your lovely guests and then dedicating those 30 minutes to your table instead of lying on your back; but believe me, the satisfaction that those extra 30 minutes will give you is beyond explanation; and you need to do it to feel it ;). 
Get your kids also involved in helping you with the table; you will be saved from the baby sittings between your cooking :D. 

Even if you don't incorporate the above rules in your family dinners and luncheons, your insight into it will definitely help you get through the hurdles of the dinners arranged in officers' mess and other official nights.

Have a pleasurable dining...