Dressing The Table

When entertaining, I always feel calmer once the table is laid, providing the frame for the picture-perfect meal to come. A beautifully set table is a treat for the eyes, and for afternoon tea, beauty is imperative. Vintage china can be bought very cheaply at car boot sales, a few sprigs of wildflowers look pretty in a bottle, while a vintage tea towel or ‘fat quarter’ can be transformed into a serviette. The point is: you don’t need much money to create something stylish. Unless you have a particularly lovely table, use a tablecloth (I’ve even used old linen bed sheets). But plain or patterned (matte, not shiny) wrapping paper or banqueting roll will also do. This chapter is about the art of the table, what goes under the food rather than in it.