Home › Table Setting and Serving › Table Setting and Serving: Place
Table Setting and Serving: Place
Note. If a butter spreader is used, place it on bread and butter 1. Put silence cloth and tablecloth on table. Place doily and fern dish or vase of red or white flowers in center of table. 2. Arrange each place like diagram. 3. Place salts and peppers between each two guests and put dish of pickles with pickle fork at one end of the table and dish of jelly with jelly spoon at the other. 4. Arrange cups and saucers, sugar bowl and cream pitcher in front of the hostess. 5. Fill glasses three-fourths full of cold water (do not have ice in glasses) and place butter on plates just before luncheon is announced. 6. On sideboard place as many dessert dishes and plates as will be needed for the dessert course, also extra spoons, knives, forks, etc., in case one is dropped on the floor. 7. On serving table have plate of bread and dish of butter, tray with doily on it and pitcher of water on tray. 8. When guests are seated, bring in soup. Have filled soup plates on service plates. Bring in two at a time, one in each hand. Commence with hostess or the guest of honor. Stand at her right and place plate on table directly in front of her then go to right of next guest and place in same manner. 9. Return to the kitchen and bring two more plates of soup. Place in same way and continue until all have been served. 10. Have croutons in bowl with doily in bottom of bowl. Place tablespoon in dish and going to the left of the one served first with soup, let her help herself to the croutons; then pass to the left of the next guest and so on until all have been served. 11. Place dish of pickles on tray with fork beside it and pass the same. as croutons. 12. When all have finished with their soup, remove soup plates on service plates in the same way in which they were placed. 13. When all have been removed, bring in platter of creamed beef and place directly in front of host. Have folded napkin under the platter to protect the hand and as you place it on the table slip the napkin out. 14. Have potatoes in a dish covered with a warm napkin. Place dish at left of platter. 15. Bring in warm plates and place in pile on the sideboard. Take one in each hand, stand at right of host and place one plate in front of him. When he has filled the plate take it up, place empty plate in front of him then go to right of person for whom the plate was prepared and place it on the table in front of her. 16. Go to sideboard, get another warm plate, remove filled plate and place empty one in front of host. Place filled plate in front of next guest and proceed in same manner until all are served. 17. Go to kitchen, get dish of hot slaw, place on tray or on left hand with folded napkin under the dish. Place spoon in the dish and go to the left of each guest and allow them to help themselves to the slaw. Return the dish to kitchen when all have been served. 18. Pass bread on plate in the same way. 19. Place jelly on tray with spoon and pass to each guest. Do not commence with the same guest each time. 20. Pass bread, jelly and slaw as often as necessary and see that water glasses and butter plates are kept supplied. 21. If any guest wishes a second helping of meat and potato take his plate to the host and when it is filled, place it again in front of the guest. 22. When all are through with this course, remove meat platter, then potato dish, then carry out the plates, one in each hand, going to the right of each guest. 23. As there is no salad course, the bread and butter plates will be removed next, then the salts and peppers on a tray. Everything should be removed except the glasses, the teaspoons and the coffee service. 24. Crumb the table, using a folded napkin and plate or a crumb tray and scraper. 25. Bring in a bowl of cherries and place in front of hostess with berry spoon beside it. 26. Go to sideboard, place dessert dishes in plates, take one in each hand and standing at right of hostess, place one in front of her. When it is filled with cherries take it up, place empty dish and plate in front of her. While she is filling that, place filled dish in front of guest and get another empty one from the sideboard, exchange for filled dish and proceed until all are served. 27. Bring in coffee and place on stand at hostess' right. 28. Pass cake on plate with folded napkin underneath. 29. When cups are filled place at right of each guest. If the hostess does not serve the cream and sugar in the coffee, place bowl and pitcher on tray and pass to the left of each guest. 30. If finger bowls are not used the waitress will have nothing more to do except pass the cake a second time and see that the glasses are refilled. 31. If finger bowls are used, remove plates when all are through and place finger bowls which have been half filled with water and placed on plate with doily between bowl and plate in front of each guest.
Serving without a Maid.
If there should be no maid to wait upon the table, this meal could be easily served by members of the family. In that case the bread plate and the butter dish would be upon the table instead of on the serving table.
In the second course the hot plates would be placed in a pile in front of the host and when filled would be passed to those at the table. The slaw should be placed on the table and served on the plates by some member of the family.
The dessert course could either be dished in the individual dishes and placed on the serving table before luncheon was served or it could be served on the table the same as the meat course.
One member of the family could easily carry out the soiled dishes and bring in the next course, then quietly take her place at the table again. This would be excellent training for both girls and boys.