Illustrated guide
The formal table
Setting and serving a formal dinner, from four guests to twenty, with place settings drawn to scale.
Illustrated guide, PDF, A4, 32 pages
Checkout on Payhip. The download link appears straight away and comes by e-mail too.
A hundred small decisions
A formal dinner is a hundred small decisions made in the right order: how much room each guest needs, which glass goes where, who sits beside whom, when the kitchen sends the main course. Get a few of them wrong and the guests notice, even if they could not say why.
This guide puts those decisions on paper, with drawings you can follow at the table.
What is inside
Every file you download, with its format and length.
-
The Formal Table
PDF, A4, 32 pages
Illustrated throughout, with place settings drawn to scale. Where British, continental and American conventions differ, it says so plainly.
Inside the guide
- The table: sizes, space per cover in centimetres, linen and silence cloth, centrepieces and candles
- Place settings for three and five courses, bread and butter, dessert cutlery, glassware in order of use
- Napkins: placement and two simple folds, step by step
- Seating plans for 8, 12 and 20 guests, and how to write place cards
- Service: serving and clearing, pouring, crumbing, coffee and port; à la russe, à la française and family style
- Wine temperatures, decanting and how much to pour; a timeline for a dinner for twelve; checklists
Sample pages
How buying works
One download, one price: €39.
Pay on Payhip
Our checkout is run by Payhip. It takes the payment and works out the VAT for your country.
Download at once
The download link appears as soon as the payment goes through, and Payhip sends it to you by e-mail as well.
Put it to work
Print it, fill it in, adapt it for your house and hand it to your own team.
Who it is for
It is for you if
- You serve formal dinners at home, or are learning to.
- You train a butler, a house manager or a private chef for the dining room.
- You are hosting and want to check the details before the guests arrive.
It is not for you if
-
You need the whole evening planned, with seating plans to fill in.
The Dinner Party Planner -
You would rather have the dinner served by a trained team on the night.
Private office and events
Questions before you buy
What language are the materials in?
English.
British, continental or American service?
All three, where they differ: the guide says so plainly, and explains service à la russe, à la française and family style.
Can I share the files with my team?
Yes, within your own household or households: print them, adapt them and hand them to the people who work for you. Please do not resell them, publish them or pass them on to other houses. A family office or an agency that would like to use them across several client houses can write to us about a wider licence.
What if something changes, or needs correcting?
Every guide carries its edition date, and figures that change from year to year, such as minimum pay or public holidays, carry their year and source. If we correct an edition, the people who bought it get the corrected file at no cost: write to us with your receipt if your link has expired.
Who issues the receipt, and what about VAT?
Payhip, our checkout, takes the payment, works out the VAT for your country and e-mails your receipt with the download link. If you need an invoice made out to a company, write to us after you buy.
Can I get a refund?
Files cannot be sent back once they are downloaded, so under EU consumer rules the usual 14-day right of withdrawal does not apply to digital content once the download has started with your consent. If a file does not open, is incomplete or is not what this page describes, write to us and we will put it right or refund you.
Related guides
All guidesPrintable A4 planner, 41 pages, with Word templates
The Dinner Party Planner
One set of pages for the hosts, the kitchen and the dining room, for dinners at home from eight guests to twenty.
Illustrated guide, 41 pages, with a quick card
Modern Manners: Italy & Switzerland
The manners Italian and Swiss houses expect, set out plainly for families, guests and staff from abroad.
Illustrated guide, 38 pages, with an Excel workbook
The Wine Cellar Book
A private cellar in one house or several: the room, the records and the routine, with an Excel inventory.
The formal table
Have it on the shelf before you need it.
One download, one price, and the files are yours to print, fill in and adapt for your own house.