We eat at the table, not in front of the TV... I think families that eat together stay together

With some decrying the supposed death of the well-worth traditional of families gathering around the dining table to catch up on how everyone’s days went whilst eating, and others pointing to the lack of space for a dining table as an excuse for eating in front of the telly, the matter is a somewhat contentious one.

“I've always sat at the table but we sit in the living room and watch tv with a takeaway once a week as a treat,” said Samatha Myatt. “I do think it’s important because it’s an opportunity to talk about your day as a family.”

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Sarah Webb agreed, saying: “Yes, family mealtime is very important. You get to catch up and talk about your day, worries and concerns and make plans. I like breakfast and dinner and my kids appreciate that time, no phones and no telly.” Georduos Huxwell simply said: “Families that eat together stay together.”

But Kirsty Lynch expanded on how it can be tough for parents to juggle all the simultaneous demands of modern life, making sitting down to enjoy a meal together hard. “Between school hours and working hours it's rare for parents and kids to eat meals at the same time anyway,” she said. “Don’t be guilt-tripping families for doing what they can with the time they have.

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“Because of the government and taxes, some parents are working multiple jobs, and some can't even afford to eat themselves and opt for their kids to eat,” Kirsty continued. “This [isn’t] the 80s/90's when you could work a standard 9-5 job and have enough to live off and all be home to have tea.”

Others explained that they didn’t even have the space for a dining table. “I dont even have table and chairs so sofa in our house,” said Emma Nelson, while Sue Elizabeth said: “Don't have the room for a dining table and chairs,” and Daniel Kendrick added: “We can't afford houses with a spare room to dine in.”

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Karl Alexander Houghton-Miles also emphasised that, so long as meals were enjoyed together, where they took place didn’t matter too much, saying: “Not at all important, food is eaten as a family in the sofa watching tv, we don’t have or want a table.” Jason Fowler commented: “The sofa faces the telly. Nuff said.”

And, in response to the question ‘do you eat at the table?’ Tim Grace provided the witty reply: “I actually eat it off a plate.”