The etiquette mistake (yes, really) you're making when eating toast

It's safe to say etiquette is the last thing on anyone's mind when slapping peanut butter on a piece of toast and inhaling it while getting ready for work in the morning.

However, apparently the rules of civility even apply to the humble task of preparing and eating toast, and there's a blunder we've all been committing.

That's according to etiquette coach William Hanson, who has issued a thorough step-by-step guide to the everyday practice to The Telegraph UK.

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Hanson's advice includes everything from the "proper" bread to use for toast to the most sophisticated form to serve it in.

Yet his most intriguing declaration is that anyone who's putting spread all over their toast in one go and biting directly into it (so, uh... all of us?) is uncouth.

"The slightly more sophisticated way to eat toast is to slow it right down and do it just like a bread roll with butter, chunk by chunk," Hanson says.

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"Using a clean knife, we can either just do a little portion and place some jam on top, pick it up and then eat.

"Or, just like a bread roll, we can break a small bite-sized piece off and then add the butter and the jam."

Interestingly, this has historical roots dating back at least as far as the Middle Ages, as Dr Neil Buttery of the British Food History podcast tells The Telegraph.

"It's bad manners to bite into some bread or toast and show your teeth," he explains.

"[Y]ou certainly see it in all sorts of etiquette guides from the 18th and 19th century. Never bare your teeth.

"I guess it's just a bit animalistic."

You can read the toast etiquette guide in full here.

If you're on TikTok, chances are you've seen Hanson's videos revealing the etiquette of everyday tasks, many of which revolve around eating.

In one recent video, he details the rules of eating a pain au chocolat civilly.

Hands up if you bite directly into the pastry? Yup, you're doing it wrong.

"Remember, it's finger food, so no cutlery, but we're not going to pick it up all in one go and bite," he says.

"Instead, break off a piece and eat in small chunks."

Hanson even tackles the dilemma of eating a bacon and egg roll neatly, offering a controversial method.

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"If we picked this up and squeeze down to bite into it, it's going to squirt all over your face, so we're not going to touch the top roll," he says, moving it off the sandwich.

"Instead, we're going to take our knife and fork and cut in and eat conventionally ... much tidier."

Certainly something to keep in mind next time you're hungover and tucking into your restorative B&E.

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