There has been a lot of talk about table manners — or the lack of them — recently. We Brits, it seems, are turning into a nation of slobs as we wolf down ready-meals with our elbows on the table. With only a third of families regularly eating together (according to a poll by Great British Chicken, a group promoting British poultry) and a fifth admitting to having most of their meals in front of the television, it is not surprising that standards have slipped. Why bother with “proper” cutlery if you’re eating a pizza out of a box? Why not lick your plate clean when there’s nobody there to see you? This new laissez-faire attitude to eating is having a knock-on effect on another aspect of social etiquette: table settings.

A few years back, dinner parties meant tablecloths, posh china and name-places. Today’s soirées are more likely to be supper on the kitchen table, with whatever china and cutlery comes to hand. There’s something very appealing about this informal approach to entertaining: it’s easy, relaxed and stress-free (I mean, who wants to worry about fish knives and ginger-sifters?)

but at the same time it does take the sense of occasion out of an evening — something that William Yeoward, the British tableware-designer, is anxious to reignite.

London-based Yeoward is internationally famous for his table settings, and his new book, Perfect Tables, lets us in on some of his secrets. Just how do you dress your table to impress? He, of course, has all the proper tools for the job: “Enough plates to serve dinner to 100”, canteens of cutlery that would make any butler blanch, cruets to die for. Most of us, on the other hand, are not so well-equipped. How can we hope to emulate the master of the mise en place with our mishmash of Habitat plates and drawers of Ikea cutlery? Flick through Yeoward’s book and the emphasis is on the posh stuff — beautiful cut-crystal glasses and candelabra, embossed gilt knives and forks, monogrammed napkins — but his ideas are far more approachable and most can be applied to less esoteric tableware.

“Setting a table or even a tray need not be expensive or time-consuming,” he says. “It is about editing and selecting the right accessories — things that are elegant, of good quality and appropriate.”

One of his bright ideas is to use a limited colour scheme to create maximum visual impact. His Mediterranean Blue tabletop, for example, works particularly well set against a neutral backdrop. To do something similar, you wouldn’t need to buy lots of new kit. Simply select a colour based on what you already have, and bring in vases or candlesticks to match. ()

Another suggestion is to think laterally when it comes to the tablecloth — something that most of us probably never think about at all. To make a change from linen or cotton, Yeoward proposes a crochet throw or a tartan rug: a device that will instantly add texture and interest to a table scheme and, of course, avoid you having to invest in a “proper” cloth at all.

Napkins are de rigueur for Yeoward — and the paper versions, he insists, should be used only for picnics. He is, however, less prescriptive about other aspects of table-setting etiquette. It is fine, for example, to use tumblers for red wine (if you are having a casual supper) and using different tableware for the same meal is also allowed (sighs of relief all round).

“I am wholeheartedly behind the idea of mixing different wares, as long as everyone is served the course on the same plate,” he says. “When everything matches exactly, the table will be dull and lacking in character.”

Yeoward is also comfortable using glassware for floral displays — a signature aspect of all his tabletops. Flowerheads are floated in sherry, liqueur and brandy glasses; miniature glass butter pails are used for single buds.

Bringing flowers to the table is an easy and cheap way of dressing it up, and the blooms also allow you to create seasonal themes.

But the master of the perfect British table setting has a word of warning: ensure that your floral display is either above or below the eye level of people conversing across the table, so they can maintain eye contact.

And, of course, make sure that nobody is indulging in those modish bad manners by licking their plate clean.

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Perfect Tables by William Yeoward, published by Cico Books, is available at the Sunday Times BooksFirst price of £17.99 (rrp £20), including free p&p in the UK, on 0870 165 8585 and www.timesonline.co.uk/booksfirst

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