We are having a dinner party in the Georgian House and as housekeeper I had to arrange the menu and as an addict to Secondlife I volunteered to make the dinner ware and food. I am completely hooked on Secondlife – I see it as another medium for my creativity. I created plates, bowls, platters, cutlery, table linen all from an original 18th century blue pattern. The food has been fun. My Roast of Rib Beef carves itself and places it on the platter!
The protocol for an 18th C dinner is interesting. When dinner is called by the Butler, the Lord and Lady proceed first to the table, the Lady is seated first then the Lord and then the rest of the guests.
The Lord sits at the end of the table in front of the soup tureen; the Lady sits at the head in front of the fish dish. The rest of the guests may sit where ever they choose – the most mercantile, marriage or politically advantageous.
England used a combination of French and Russian style dinner service. French style is where all the food, from soup to dessert, is laid out and guests eat whatever they choose in whatever order. Russian style is when courses are served individually, one following the other with a brief repast in between. The English served four courses but not as we would recognise them.
