You shouldn’t really know what charger plates are, not unless you’re the Duchess of York, the manager of a large catering company, a Nineties employee of Rackhams of Birmingham (tableware department), or an over-zealous contestant on Come Dine with Me, the one who thinks an addition of mango is an addition of the exotic. They are one of life’s unnecessaries.

Charger plates are large decorative plates that are placed first on the table, and function as under-plates. In their time (strictly the late Nineties), they often came in a satiny gold, or in polished stainless steel with moons and stars punched out of their rims. Food is never, ever served on a charger plate, not even a mango-enhanced salad, not even in the home of the duchess.

Since they have been around since the 1800s, and have in their time been objects of beauty, let’s not condemn them completely. Let’s simply be mindful that what might seem like a touch of elegance at a wedding banquet does not translate to domestic life, much like a tiara and white veil. Charger plates, like mango, do not improve a meal.

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