Formal Dinner Menu: Fill & Download for Free

Each week the Queen’s chef creates a menu for the following week containing options for lunch and dinner for the Queen. He sends this to the Queen for her to choose what she would like for lunch/dinner each day. She uses a red pen to cross off the options she does not want. If there is something in particular she would like one day that is not included on the menu she will add a handwritten note with her request.Menus for state banquets and other formal dinners are written in French. This is a tradition that dates back to the 11th century when French was the official language of the court.Another interesting fact whilst on the subject of the Queen’s chef. Despite cooking all of the Queen’s meals he is never allowed to actually enter the dining room when the Queen and The Royals are eating except one day a year. On Christmas Day, the Royal Chef is invited into the dining room with the Royals to carve the turkey. The Queen will then offer him a glass of whiskey and he will join the Royals for a toast before leaving the room.

So, there are actually a bunch of cardinal(ish) sins in a fine dining establishment. Most of which have long been forgotten. The only reason I know of any is because my great aunt Kay who was born in the late 1800's and died at 99 years old, was an instructor in a finishing school teaching elocution and etiquette. (Full disclosure, I'm sure she'd be appalled at my position and posture at this moment.) So even intimate family dinners always consisted of place cards (usually with a small token gift such as a pen) and table settings appropriate for entertaining royalty. I'm talking 5ish drinking glasses covering water, red/white wine, sherry etc. And if my aunt wanted to be “extra” a tiny little cordial glass. To be honest it was actually a lot of fun as a child and I'd like to pretend I was a princess.Still, formal dinners in a home as opposed to a fine dining establishment differ in a few ways. Please note, I haven't been required to set or eat at a formal dinner in a very long time. So this is not a complete list.Your napkin is either in your lap or on the seat of your chair. It should never be put back on the table in full view after either you ( in the super duper extra fancy restaurants) or your server places it in your lap.Whomever is paying should be decided first and the bill ideally should not be brought to the table in view of your guests guests.Fully expect your meal to take several hours. It's not Applebee's where you are in and out after an hour and a half. So don't have low blood sugar and want food sooner than 30-60 mins after being seated and do not ask for a bunch of substitutions.If there is a sommelier, take advantage of it. listen and use their advice. They absolutely know if you're just reenacting what you've seen in movies. Look at the wine menu carefully, ask for something that would pair well with anything and never bring up price. They'll bring you tastings of a few options and if they're too expensive just point to a selection of wine within your budget and ask if it would pair well. They will know what you're asking. Once you officially order a bottle, do not send it back.Used silverware never goes back on the table and I'm too lazy to remember the “positions” they should be placed indicating what point you're at with your meal. However it reminds me of a saying my aunt made us memorize specifically for soup. “As a ship going out to sea, I push my spoon away from me” there was a second unofficial & inappropriate verse of “as a ship coming in to port, I bring my spoon up to my snort” and that's how you eat soup at a formal dinner.Don't be an asshole to your server, raise your voice, yell to them or wave your arms to get their attention. use eye contact or index finger raised not higher than your collar bone. fine dining servers are experienced in service and will routinely scan the room looking for a sign you need themInside voices/laughterDon't eat as if you're starving. Match pace with the group.Let your server really serve you & tip very wellAs I said, this is an incomplete list, it's only what was drilled into me growing up. Essentially if you've never participated in such a formal affair always hesitate and follow the lead of your host.

My husband and I went to a relative’s wedding. At the reception afterward, every single item on the menu included almonds, even the desserts - except for the dinner roll. It seemed strange to me, but that’s what they wanted, and it was their day.(Image Credit: Stir-fried Green Beans with Almonds)I am very allergic to almonds. I never expect anyone to cater to my allergies, I have so many. Usually I can find something to eat, and don’t say anything to the host. In the past, that had never been a problem, because there was usually something else there I can eat. But as I said, everything on this menu had almonds in it.(Image Credit: Environmentalists go nuts over almonds writes @MarkBanahan)Most of the time, I carry my own food, but felt that would be intrusive at a sit-down dinner. Sometimes the wedding invitations ask about allergies, and I will check it off, but this time they did not.(Image Credit: Adventurous Thanksgiving Menu - Cooking Light)Since I did not want to ruin their reception by having an allergic reaction there and needing care, I simply buttered my dinner roll and ate that, leaving the rest of the food on my plate.(A few years later, I found out I also have a gluten allergy, so if I had known that then I would not even been able to eat the bun - there would have been nothing at this reception I could have eaten. The result of eating any sort of wheat or gluten had affected me for so long that I did not know it was an allergy. My complaints to my doctor about this problem was ignored and discounted. It is amazing how long a person can suffer with a problem before getting a proper diagnosis!)(Image Credit: The Vertical Diet Review: Benefits, Downsides, and Meal Plan)Growing up, I was expected to clean my plate, whether I liked what was served or not. I had to sit there till it was gone, and if not gone by bedtime, I got it served cold for breakfast. So wasting food makes me very uncomfortable.But I saw lots of other plates with food left on them, so I told myself no one would even notice. And they didn’t…I left early, and made myself something to eat when I got home.