Do you use napkins at meal times?

[Dillytante]

I went a proper 'ladies wot lunch' lunch this week, all matching china, jugs of elderflower & 3 types of salad. It was lovely, & so far above my hostessing skills that I am not even on the same scale. I don't even have matching crockery, which I'm ok about, I just have stuff I like. But what struck me most was the napkins. They were paper, granted, but floral & lovely. It's not like they were leftover Christmas napkins or Peppa Pig ones.

So do you all have napkins? Do you have linen ones? Are they special occasion things or do you have them with every meal? I don't have 'guests' very often, but when I do they make do with kitchen roll. But then it is usually good friends.

Tell me, have I been committing social suicide until now?

We have linen napkins on table for all meals. Given messiness of my lot prob works out cheaper than paper anyway.

I have paper ones which I use if people come round to dinner but we don't use any when it's just us. I always buy ones that will suit any occasion to avoid leftover Christmas napkins.

I also have some washable ones which were given to me as a present. I never bother to use them as napkins, but they are huge and I often use them as table covers for the tops of small tables. As there are 6, when one gets dusty and dirty, I can just throw it in the wash and put a clean one on.

we have basic cotton napkins.

I grew up with them, but didn't really start doing it myself until oldest dc was about 4, when I realised that since we had lost the bibs, it was just messy.

We eat at a table, have napkins, we each have a different ring, so we can throw them in the drawer and keep our own.
Paper ones for visitors, mostly cheap/peppa pig leftovers, occasionally nicer ones.

Don't really get the linen part, most I know are just cotton/polycotton.
And strictly no ironing of them allowed!!

Christmas Day,yes,proper ironed posh ones.

Chicken legs and spare ribs etc is a sheet of kitchen roll each.

I do have linen ones but they are pretty high maintenance in terms of ironing. I get packs of paper ones, and yes I do go for patterns like Emma Bridgewater etc, but you can also get lovely ones in John Lewis, and Asda usually have nice ones in the picnic section at this time of year; much cheapness and nicer than kitchen roll!

I have some cotton ones which only ever get used at christmas and a variety of paper napkins (generally people have given me as gifts). On a daily basis we don't get them out, we use kitchen roll if needed. When we have people over unless it's a proper meal (dinner party ish)/birthday celebration then we don't bother with the napkins.

We have always used paper napkins for family meals; when guests come, we use cotton or linen ones.

Cotton napkins at all meals. I have messy children and am too lazy to wash their clothes after every meal.

We have cotton napkins for everyday use with our own rings (never have understood matching rings - how do you tell them apart?). For grown-up dinners I'd use my ancient linen napkins which have my great, great grannie's laundry marks on.

Wow. I didn't imagine anyone would actually use napkins. This has been an education!

I do- napkins are sort of my thing because I'm a saddo because I don't really dress up the table much and I think they're fun. I have Marimekko fabric napkins for Sundays/guests. Otherwise we use paper napkins from Ikea. When it's a really messy meal we get fancy and use paper towels.

Cotton for every day, linen for posh. Paper for barbecue.

Question for people who don't use napkins then: what do you wipe your mouth on when you've finished if you don't have a napkin?

Like Pigeon, at my parents we use linen napkins for every meal and we each have a silver, numbered, napkin ring (so you can tell who's is whose). We light candles for every evening meal also.

I use linen napkins for meals at home (not breakfast) but as I live alone, there's no need for the numbered rings.

Cotton napkins for everyday use and some nicer ones for best. Oh, and special Christmas ones that match the tablecloth but are a b*er to iron.

I am curious, if you use paper ones every day, doesn't it get a bit pricey? Our basic cotton ones cost very little, get thrown in the wash every week, and have been going for years. it must cost a lot to use paper every day??

And for those who don't use napkins, what about mucky mouths and little sticky fingers?

I have cotton ones that get used at Christmas and any special occasions. Then every time I go to Ikea I grab a packet of throw away napkins (that are all pretty and patterned for use at BBQ's, buffets and finger food dinners.

we have fabric ones that we use every day, they are red gingham or blue gingham.
I also have a selection of pretty paper ones.. am a bit partial to a paper napkin.

Linen but not posh- natural coulour and I fold/ pat them when damp, i have about 10 and they go straight in the wash.

pretty cotton napkins every day with our own rings, loads of granny's and great-granny's linen ones for dinner parties, nice celebration meals, christmas etc.

For some reason all the 'mini markets' overstock paper tableware, and sell it off for 20p/ pack, so I caould also equip a small jamboree with napkins plates and cups.

Common as muck here - kitchen roll everyday and paper ones for Christmas only.

Cotton for everyday here. I have some posh ones for guests, but a faff to iron.

Paper ones, usually from Ikea. Pretty ones, but not proper posh like linen.

Cotton ones for everyday, we rarely if ever get the posh linen ones out as we're still at the wipe-clean tablecloth stage with the children. These days actually we tend to keep a couple of old terrycloth bibs at hand as well, say for big tomato stains.

I grew up with napkins at the table so it's second-nature to me. My DH never had any and to this day I get distracted when I visit my PILs and have nowhere to wipe hands/mouth on so have to jump up and get some kitchen roll. I notice DH does it now too .