Phones besides plates, elbows on the table and clinking coupes - your guide to table manners

2026-07-30

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It may have been been a scorcher yet again this week, but that’s no excuse to lose control. In today’s Poshcast Cleo and Sophia tackle the thorny issue of table manners.What matters, these days, and what doesn’t? Do we care about elbows on the table anymore, or is that a fusty old Victorian throwback? Is it deeply common to clink glasses and say ‘cheers?’ From which body part should you eat caviar, and is it ever acceptable to have your phone beside your plate?Plus they answer a question from a nervous young listener who’s off on holiday with her bo...

It may have been been a scorcher yet again this week, but that’s no excuse to lose control. In today’s Poshcast Cleo and Sophia tackle the thorny issue of table manners.

What matters, these days, and what doesn’t? Do we care about elbows on the table anymore, or is that a fusty old Victorian throwback? Is it deeply common to clink glasses and say ‘cheers?’ From which body part should you eat caviar, and is it ever acceptable to have your phone beside your plate?

Plus they answer a question from a nervous young listener who’s off on holiday with her boyfriend’s parents for the first time and wants to make a good impression (no bawdy chipolata jokes).

They may not have the answer to all Britain’s problems, but Sophia and Cleo can offer strong opinions on knives and napkins — what further encouragement do you need to watch The Poshcast?

You can watch The Poshcast on YouTube: https://youtu.be/mbuXBuO_5sE

Send your questions to theposhcast@telegraph.co.uk

Height shouldn’t matter when it comes to matters of the heart, Sophia Money-Coutts: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/family/relationships/sophia-money-coutts-height-shouldnt-matter-affairs-of-heart/

Video Producer: Carla Mercer

Social Editor: Alex Marshall

Executive Producer: Louisa Wells

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