Knives cut from diners' shopping lists

It's another trend which reflects our growing taste for fast food and which will have etiquette experts sobbing into their soup. Just as the traditional cup and saucer has disappeared in favour of the mug, sales of knives in the UK are plummeting as diners increasingly prefer to eat US-style, using just a fork.

Department store chain Debenhams compared sales of main-meal forks with those of matching knives – and found forks were far outselling knives in its 155 UK stores. In London the trend was even more pronounced, with three forks sold for every knife.

Areas putting their southern countrymen to shame in maintaining traditional manners are Birmingham, Belfast and Doncaster, showing sales rates of knives and forks that were nearly equal.



Further research by Debenhams showed that almost 32% of customers bought fewer knives because they now prefer to use forks on their own. An additional 24% were baffled by place settings. Almost 28% didn't possess fish knives and could see no reason for buying them. And 19% could not tell the difference between soup spoons and dessert spoons.

The trend towards one-handed eating – using a fork in the right hand – has been common in the US for the best part of a decade, but appears to have drifted across the Atlantic to the UK.

Jo Bryant, etiquette adviser for the authority on etiquette, Debrett's, said: "Good table manners should be second nature – or should at least appear to be. When dining, it is essential to remember your manners and to use cutlery correctly. Bad table manners may offend your fellow diners and cause embarrassment."