Table Manners

Table manners vary from country to country. From the way you eat to how you pay the
bill, what’s polite in one country may be extremely rude in another. Avoid awkward
situations by teaching your students proper British table etiquette.

Activities:
Discuss – British Food

Start with a simple discussion of British food. Provide pictures and descriptions
of different British dishes, asking students what they imagine them to taste like.
You could even turn this into a vocabulary game.

Elicit – British Table Etiquette

Explain the basics of UK table manners to your students. Make sure you include the
following points:

How to order

If you should share your food

How to use your cutlery

Who should pay the bill

If you should leave a tip

Role Play – Ordering in a Restaurant

You can put the previous two exercises together in a restaurant role play. In pairs
or small groups, ask your students to create their own British menus. Then, have
them role play as customers, waiters and waitresses. This should be a relatively
free activity, with minimal monitoring and feedback from the teacher.