Brits certainly love their toast as part of a hearty breakfast, often paired with the beloved full English.
Yet, etiquette expert William Hanson has sparked debates by claiming that your toast-cutting habits could inadvertently show your social standing. The 35-year-old manners maven suggests that one particular way of slicing toast can brand you as “common”.
Hanson, who has amassed over two million TikTok followers with his etiquette tips, says many people also prepare their toast the wrong way before eating. This is because aristocrats would have once had the crusts of their toast cut off before serving.
In his work, ‘Just Good Manners,’ Hanson outlines: “The British class system, too, is probably to blame (or thank, depending on your view) for how we eat. The aristocracy had capacious windows of time to fill. The best way to demonstrate this, and the social change in Britain since the heyday of the upper classes, is to look at how we eat toast.”
He differentiates further: “For a start, the shape of toast is different. ‘Posh’ toast is often square and has the crusts removed in the kitchen. Middle class toast is triangular and ‘common’ toast is rectangular – both with the crusts left intact.”
Hanson, an expert consultant for the high-society drama ‘Red, White and Royal Blue’, is incredibly zealous about accurate dining portrayals, revealing he nearly “came to blows” with the prop team over inaccuracies involving toast.
He triumphed in the end, ensuring the toast was “cut down to size,” much like the prop department’s pride.
The esteemed etiquette coach doesn’t just correct props; he imparts his sophisticated dining knowledge on social media too. In a trending clip, Hanson demonstrates the art of eating a banana elegantly, employing a knife and fork to first trim the ends, then gracefully peeling it with a “fruit knife”, and consuming it in poised, “bite-sized” pieces.
Harking back to the age of 12, Hanson recounts how his grandmother gifted him a book on manners that would remarkably “appeal” to his young mind.
Little did he know that by 16, Clifton College, his own educational institute in Bristol, would seek his guidance on table settinga request that marked the beginning of a luminous journey.
Currently, Hanson circles the globe, imparting wisdom through etiquette classes. Additionally, he takes to the airwaves to co-host Help I S**ted My Boss alongside Capital Breakfast’s DJ Jordan North, divulging tales and tips from the world of civility.
