Seven in ten abandon knives for eating

It's not so long ago that the pinnacle of meal table mischief was flicking peas across the table - swiftly punished by a stern rebuke or exile to the bedroom without dinner.

But today's parents have not only forgotten their manners but are too busy licking their plates and watching the telly to pass them on, a survey has revealed.

Nearly three-quarters of adults today think nothing of shovelling food into their mouths with a fork held in their right hand, not bothering with a knife at all.

The survey of 2,231 people by by Great British Chicken, a trade group which promotes the use of British poultry, also found a north/south divide with the worst manners in Scotland and the north east and the best in Wales and the south east.

The 15 most common bad table manners are:

73% Holding fork in right hand/no knife
67% Elbows on table
67% Failing to remain at table while everyone is still eating
64% Eating straight out of packaging
47% Leaving table while others eating
36% Talking with mouth full
34% Using fingers to scoop up last bits of food
27% Pointing at someone with knife/fork
25% Burping at table
24% Licking plate clean
20% Blowing nose on napkin
20% Putting too much food in mouth
19% Forgetting to thank host for meal
19% Not knowing which cutlery to use in restaurant
8% Throwing food at someone across table