Greetings Many thanks to those people who responded to my query - Jan, Anne and Charles among you! You're right, Charles: we Brits hold both the knife and fork and don't switch. Most people (of course!!) have the fork in the left hand but being "caggy" (left) handed, I have my cutlery the opposite way. The Washington "instructions" are fascinating: I wonder how he went on with his wooden false teeth... Best Marjie.