Fit for a Feast

As CEO of Claridge's Flowers, Richard Eagleton's expertise in adding flourishes to tables makes a huge difference

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There is nowhere quite like Claridge's, and this is especially true at Christmas. We don't do silver service, we don't take ourselves too seriously, we're not all buttoned-up and there is a big dollop of English wit in everything we do. The hotel may need five kilometres of fairy lights and 15,000 baubles but we tackle these things with a light heart and warm spirit, and my advice to you, dear reader, would be to approach your Christmas table setting in exactly the same way.

BE AS CREATIVE AS YOU LIKE.

Oscar Wilde said that we should be ourselves because everyone else is taken, and that's never more true than over the festive period. This is not a show-off moment, it's a warm family occasion you can be bold, you can be quirky, but just be yourself - you don't need to get the etiquette book out to make people feel at home.

DON'T FEEL OBLIGED TO MATCH YOUR TABLEWARE.