Nice People Thread No. 14, all Nice and Proper

Generali

Doozergirl wrote: »

I've lived my whole life without enough serving spoons. Every time we have guests I wonder why I don't have more, yet I have now been thrown into Christmas serving spoon induced anxiety.

What if they don't match the other cutlery?

Internet search starts now.

Don't forget to get a second-Sunday in June set.:money:

The weather's gone all weird here. Coolish and cloudy and humid but it feels boiling hot inside the house.

Doozergirl

Could someone find me the post where fc123 told us where she got her wall mural stickers from? It appears to be in NP10 but I'm searching wrong as that is all I can get.

Doozergirl

PasturesNew wrote: »

BBC2 just started - that "Back in Time for Christmas" programme.
Family reproduce a Xmas from 1940, 1950, 1960, 1970 etc

Is it the same as the family that did eating through the years and had their house redecorated every week for the period?

I loved that.

Masomnia

PasturesNew wrote: »

If you don't want the worry of matching it - then go "quirky" and find some festive/jovial pieces that are clearly designed NOT to match.

Agreed. The set not matching 'ironically' is the way to go!

Generali

Doozergirl wrote: »

Is it the same as the family that did eating through the years and had their house redecorated every week for the period?

I loved that.

That previous series has only just been shown in Aus. It was brilliant.

silvercar

Doozergirl wrote: »

Could someone find me the post where fc123 told us where she got her wall mural stickers from? It appears to be in NP10 but I'm searching wrong as that is all I can get.

http://www.muralswallpaper.co.uk/forest-mural-wallpaper.htm

was on NP9.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/62918822#Comment_62918822

silvercar

PasturesNew wrote: »

In looking for some Christmas spoons I bought my sibling last year (never did find them) ....I discovered a lot of cutlery presentation offerings for the Xmas table.

Who'd have thought ...!

Anybody ever seen cutlery put into any form of presentation/sleeve? e.g. here's one from Avon. http://reviews.avonshop.co.uk/9028-en_gb/36721/avon-set-of-4-santa-glove-cutlery-holder-reviews/reviews.htm

What a lot of (cute/aww when you first see it) .... utter nonsense

I often wrap the cutlery in a serviette if entertaining buffet style. That way i can do it the day before and the cutlery won't be left out unwrapped and makes setting the table quicker.

SingleSue

Spirit wrote: »

Last Christmas i was only able to sit and watch as DD and Oh decorated the house, shopped and prepared food. this year I can do almost everything and it is lovely. But i am quite slow.

Having a dummy run of this dish http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/chestnut-shallot-tatins-mushroom-madeira-sauce

It has taken forever to trim and peel the shallots, I have also eaten quite a lot of chestnuts.


I can use a knife and fork to eat but find it hard to place my finger on the back of the fork and keep the tines in meat as I cut it. My arm tires my hand gives up and I end up with someone cutting up my food.

It helps if I use a steak knife as it cuts quickly so improves the efficiency of my fork use. i have one solitary scruffy knife and would like us all to have the same cutlery for christmas meals, so I think I am going to buy these http://www.johnlewis.com/store/laguiole-cream-steak-knives-and-forks-set-12-piece/p230157822?navAction=jump

Trouble is do I then progress to wanting to create a canteen? Or do I need 2 sets? We have a servicable but ugly canteen that was given to us, too good to throw out and caters for 12 if you repurpose the smaller knives and forks .

Do NP have full canteens covering all cutlery and serving needs and how many people do you have knives and forks for?

I discovered our old canteen of cutlery in a sort out earlier in the year, think we had put it somewhere safe and out of the way of the children and then forgot we had it (or I had forgotten it anyway).

Got quite a few knives and forks, enough for 8 people ish, just general one but the knives are mainly steak ones as I find them easier to use. I did have more but the two older boys raided the stocks to take to uni when theirs (or more specifically James'), went walk about in the halls.

Not that I need a canteen of cutlery or even loads of knives and forks, we never entertain.

SingleSue

PasturesNew wrote: »

When I was <9 I went to something similar to Girl Guides. Like GG you had to do stuff, to get to a level at something. It was all lower level/less formal than GG (no badges) ... one thing I had to do was to learn how to set a table. http://www.viners.co.uk/how-to-set-a-table

I learnt that - and demonstrated it at the meeting. The irony is that, to date, I've never needed that information, nor have I ever sat at a table set out like that. I've never been for a formal meal.

We had an old style cookery teacher and she insisted we knew how to do it....caused a little bit of stubborness of my part when she insisted I had set the table sitting wrong for myself as I had put the fork on the left and the knife on the right when (as a left hander), it should have been the other way around.

I have never ever eaten with my cutlery like that! Think it comes from living in a family of right handers, you just follow what everyone else is doing, although my brother does use his knife and fork in the 'wrong' hands.

It's also why I laugh when parents think their child has a disability or some kind of special need which needs different provision because they are left handed, why the big deal? We never worried about it and although I moan from time to time about things being set up for right handed people, I just get on with it.

I even use a mouse with my right hand, the first time I used one was at an interview, it was set up on the right and although it was a little fiddly at first, I put it down to the fact it was the first time I had used one (plus I was absolutely pooing myself I was going to mess the interview up).

Phew, went on a bit of a rant there...sorry guys!

SingleSue

PasturesNew wrote: »

If you don't want the worry of matching it - then go "quirky" and find some festive/jovial pieces that are clearly designed NOT to match.

Personally, if you're feeding me, I couldn't care if the cutlery, or plates, or placemats, or chairs match .... I'm even happy to be the one sat on the pouffe with a tray on my lap.

It's about: being invited + the company.

Our Xmas dinner used to be a mismatch of all manner of dishes - chosen because they were just the right size to contain the contents, while leaving room (just) on the table for the rest of the food to fit. That's why, say, you might've found stuffing served in a deep soup dish, with a strange spoon stuck in the top for serving.

Serving spoons were just a random selection from the drawer of "spoons a bit bigger than the others, that can be used for serving".

That describes Christmas dinner at my parent's house, goodness only knows why this year, after decades of it being like that, she is worrying about us not having matching plates!