The Social Diary presents Butlers in Love table setting review of the Hallmark Channel. This is the story of how the production design team for this movie got it so wrong. And where are the etiquette consultants, might we ask?1
When consulting on the dos and don’ts of table setting, The Hallmark Channel’s Butlers in Love table settings are definite don’ts. When one of our forum members asked us to review this movie, we gladly took on the task. After all, it’s a Hallmark movie. Who doesn’t love a good rom-com? It originally aired in 2022. Second, the location at a butler academy was intriguing. So, imagine our surprise when the table settings were not up to standard. Matter of fact, they were negligent!
Pay close attention to the opening credits. Somebody in charge of production design definitely dropped the ball on this one. Heather Coutts is the production designer on this film. She even made a career out of it, so the table setting displays are a disappointment and epic fail.
The Social Diary highly recommends that Coutts stay away from high end productions where etiquette, manners and table settings are pivotal. She may be talented in other areas, but table setting is not in her wheelhouse. Because we have unearthed some elementary errors that put this Hallmark production to shame.
What’s wrong with this picture? Hint: dessert fork and spoon
Butlers in Love Hallmark Channel
The story
The protagonist Emma (Stacy Farber) has a life goal of becoming a butler to a grand estate in Europe. Moreover, she was a devoted fan of British television drama, Plumshire Manor, as a child. As an adult, Emma applied herself to fulfil her dream.
As her mother said, she put herself through college, got a degree in communications, took three language courses, and even moved back home to save money. Additionally, she works in the service industry to gain experience.
Still these accomplishments weren’t enough. She received one rejection letter after another, until a chance phone call from Mr. Willoughby (Maxwell Caulfield) gave her a shot. He invites her to the American Butler Academy located in Maryland. That’s where her adventure begins and where she meets Henry (Corey Cott), an aspiring chef.
The production design
The opening shot from Butlers in Love is all you have to know about this movie. It sets the tone for the story line about a butler training school. However, the glaring table setting errors make this movie difficult to believe.
Granted most audiences won’t know the difference between a salad fork and an oyster fork. But if Hallmark can’t even get the basics correct, why should we even believe this story about butlers in training?
Butlers in Love Table setting (Emma & Jared)
The students at the American Butler Academy must pass several tests in order to graduate. In addition to wine pairing knowledge, they must demonstrate basic table setting skills. In this scene two of the students (Emma & Jared) work together to set the table. This is a timed exercise.
They first examine the menu card, which is a crucial piece of information on how many courses to set. There are five courses on this menu card, including shrimp, salad and soup, in this order.
Emma and Jared fumble through the exercise. Table setting is a skill everyone should possess. As the saying goes, “practise makes perfect.” American and British practise similar table setting, with one specific difference. A formal British table setting doesn’t use space above the plate. Whereas, in America, this is common practise.
There are always variances, of course, depending on the number of courses and the occasion, but the standards still apply. The important thing to remember is to work from the outside in.
Pairing cutlery
Pairing is also important. This is true for knives and forks. In America, diners usually switch to their dominant hand when eating, after cutting their food. In Britain, the knife and fork remain in hand, without switching. Therefore, even in an American table setting, it is best practise to include a salad knife, to pair with the salad fork.
The oyster or cocktail fork is the only exception to the table setting rule. One would think it belongs with the other forks. However, it goes to the right of the spoons.
Dish stacking
The stacking of dishes is also incorrect in formal and fine dining. Soups and salads are table service courses, so there is no need to include them in the table setting. Fine China can also chip and crack when mishandled, especially when inappropriately stacked.
The menu card specified a salad course before the soup course. Yet the place setting by Emma and Jared suggest otherwise. They stacked the main plate, salad plate and soup bowl on top. If this was a stacking exercise, Emma and Jared would be correct and the menu card would be wrong.
A salad plate would never go on top of the soup bowl, yet the menu card listed the salad course before the soup course. Confounded, indeed! Needless to say, they did not pass in this exercise.
Butlers in Love Table setting (Emma & Henry)
Emma gets another chance to prove to herself that she has what it takes to become a successful butler. With Henry’s help, she gains more confidence to accomplish this goal. Emma and Henry receive perfect marks for their table setting, by Hallmark standards. Yet, once again, Hallmark doesn’t have what it takes to successfully set a table.
As previously noted, table settings in America and Britain are similar. The only variance is there is nothing above the plate on a British table. Whereas in America, the dessert spoon and the dessert fork above the plate is common practise.
Unfortunately the placement of the dessert spoon and the dessert fork are incorrect. The handle of the spoon goes right (not left). The handle of the fork goes left (not right). This makes it easier to pull the spoon and fork down together by the handles for dessert. Thus, the fork goes left and the spoon goes right. A server would naturally take care of this in formal dining, but diners often manage this themselves.
Again, in Emma’s second attempt, the oyster fork is incorrect. It’s the only exception to the fork table setting rule. It goes to the right of the spoons.
If this was a real butler academy, these students would fail. But in the “make believe” world of the Hallmark Channel, Emma and Henry passed with flying colours.
In addition to the glaring cutlery mistakes, the teacup and saucer is out of place. There would be no tea service during the meal. Only for dessert. If serving coffee or demitasse, then the cup should have a flat bottom.
Butlers in Love Hallmark Recap
Although most Hallmark rom-coms are so predictable, they are still fun to watch. This is especially true if you have a favourite Hallmark actor. Lacey Chabert and Will Kemp come to mind. We have seen all their Hallmark pairings.
Unfortunately, the serious table setting mistakes by Coutts and her production design team makes Butlers in Love a Hallmark dud.
- This story was updated to include relevant information and perspective. ↩︎