What kind of napkins do you use at meal times?

[FreeBeeBird]

We normally use basic kitchen roll and I buy some nicer paper napkins when we have guests around but am a bit fed up and was thinking of getting some fabric napkins instead.
What do people normally use? Do you also do napkin rings? Any nice ones to recommend?

This thread has baffled me 😄

We have natural or soft green linen cotton blend for everyday. Stiff white cotton ones for Christmas and dinner parties. I get out kitchen roll for deeply coloured finger foods like ribs or marinated chicken to prevent staining the napkins!! 😂😂

We use old muslins! Some of them are probably 15 years old 🤣

I offset the fancy napkins at Christmas with these napkin rings: bought them about 5 years ago and they are a bit matted but going strong.

We just wipe our hands on our top or trousers like normal people ...

Everyday cloth napkins for use in the week and we all have a different napkin ring. Washed every few days. Don't iron them though. Also have packs of the IKEA paper napkins. I love table linen and have a collection of cloths and napkins that makes me happy.

Linen with napkin rings

Everyday cloth ones are made from an old sheet (apricot colour). Best cloth were from Mother's house when we cleared it.

Cloth napkins, if I’m in France I buy them there in supermarkets as they are cheaper and better quality, also while I love white napkins I avoid for everyday as they get stained too easily. Also second the napkin rings, Ends up cheaper and more eco.

Same.

Proper napkins every meal.

Paper napkins. I don't like using paper towels. Fabric napkins if birthdays/entertaining etc

IKEA paper napkins!

We use these:

https://www.ikea.com/gb/en/p/nissoega-napkin-grey-dark-blue-20555046/#content

I bought a whole load of them and they’re easy enough to bung in to any wash that’s going on. I have good intentions to buy nice napkin rings, but it’s a slow project (currently 20 years in the making).

I struggle with paper napkins, I have no idea what the fuck I actually do with them but invariably, 5 minutes into any meal, the lapse napkin will be shredded on my lap.

I need a napkin because I eat like a toddler and often have food smeared around my mouth. Plus I just really like them for some reason. Perhaps because I was brought up with them? Or perhaps because I like fidgeting with them? No idea 🤷‍♀️

*paper not lapse

I don’t use them because I learnt to eat without slopping all over my face.

I do have some for Christmas dinner, but they are only for effect.

Shame you didn't learn to communicate without being snide.

We have some cheap cotton ones (some ikea, some H&M home) that get used for messy meals for adults/ pretty much every meal for DS.

I have some lovely Irish linen ones for special occasions.

'Only for effect'? Like a stunt pineapple?

Do your guests know they're not actually allowed to use them?

We have these for everyday. We all have a napkin ring with our names on so we can reuse.

I have some nice white and navy chicken ones. I only use them when we go for a picnic though. At home it's kitchen role. We also have nice solid silver napkin rings but never use them. I hate having to clean them.

We've got some nice cotton ones (also dark green) but I don't know where they are at the moment.
So we're using paper ones or kitchen roll for messy food. I like really bright ones, generally green and or yellow, to go with the kitchen stuff.

Napkin rings aren't really us.

We don't often use napkins but when we do it's Ikea paper ones.

Must admit I'm surprised to hear that people re-use fabric napkins after a meal. Surely they need a wash after each meal - won't there be bacteria on them if you've wiped sauce or whatever off your hands or mouth?

We use cotton napkins. They go in the wash after each use. We’ve always done it. And yes we have silver cutlery too 😜

I had a bit of a google about napkin rings. Apparently they are terrible non-U, the upper classes had a fresh napkin for every meal (the servants would wash and iron them) but the middle classes would reuse their everyday napkins several days on the trot and so had personal napkin rings (named, numbered or individual decorations) so you knew which napkin was yours. You should never use napkin rings for guests (oops!) because it implies that you are giving them dirty napkins, guests should get freshly folded napkins.