Brits are preparing for party season in the weeks before Christmas, but many have expressed their anger at the rudest things they’ve seen revellers do at the buffet table
Friends share a Christmas buffet (file image)
Coughing and sneezing over scran at the Christmas buffet table and leaning across other people to grab food are among the rudest things Brits do at festive parties, a survey shows.
More than eight in ten Brits reckon there is an accepted etiquette to conducting oneself at a festive food table, the research highlights. This guide includes rules around how guest behave in waiting for their turns, and how they decide to take — or maybe even return — food at the buffet.
Some 55% of Brits told the poll coughing or sneezing over food would be the rudest thing to do at the Christmas buffet, while 54% believe leaning across others to grab food items would also be rude.
But retail experts stress the traditional buffet, complete with the likes of mini sausage rolls, a glazed ham and smoked salmon, is still essential for parties during the festive season. A spokesperson for one supermarket, Asda, said: “The festive spread is where Christmas memories are made – and where etiquette sometimes melts away. With eight in ten Brits saying there’s a right and wrong way to behave at the buffet, we thought it was time to give the nation a helping hand – or in this case, a longer fork.”
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Cheese fondues are often items at the festive food table
Despite concerns over etiquette, 36% of those surveyed say they love the festive picky bits, more than Christmas lunch itself. They listed baked camembert, crusty bread and pigs in blankets as essentials for the buffet. Sales of platters and olives rose by 55% in 2024 year-on-year from 2023 at Asda alone, and cheese bakes increased by nearly 10% in that period at the brand.
As a result of this trend, the supermarket has invested into the market, and even launched a two-metre fondue fork. It says it will stop people from reaching over others to dip their pieces of food into the cheesy treat. The chain, founded in Leeds in 1949, surveyed 2,000 Brits for the research, following which it determinedly developed the special fondue fork. The biggest Christmas buffet etiquette concerns are;
Coughing or sneezing over the food – 55%Leaning across others to grab food items – 54%Leaning across others to dip – 49%Putting olive pits back in the bowl – 48%Dripping melted cheese from the fondue all over the table – 48%Letting pets jump up at the table – 44%Pushing in front of someone – 39%Putting food back because you changed your mind – 38%Knocking something over when reaching over – 37%Double dipping – 36%Using the same spoon for different chutneys – 35%Piling your plate high – 34%Dipping meat into a veggie dip – 27%Standing at the table and eating, rather than going to sit down – 27%Taking the last item without offering it around first – 24%Cutting pate or cheese with a used knife – 23%Hovering too late at the table – 19%Grabbing a handful of crisps and nuts – 17%Tearing up bread with your hands – 16%Going back for a third helping – 12%
Dining and Cooking