In considering a napkin fold it is important to  look at the practical and not always the fancy. The fancier the napkin fold the longer it may take to make the harder it may be to store. The last thing that you need on a busy night is to be folding napkins. It is also important to remember hygiene, the fancier the napkin the more folds are involved and the more times you are touching the napkin

I have picked four napkin folds for you to learn they are simple to do, so they wont take up a lot of time and there is one for most occasions. As you become more proficient you may like to try more elaborate styles, and depending on the restaurant they may use another fold that you will have to learn.

The Bishop's Hat is the most popular fold and used widely in restaurants it is a very quick fold and can be stored flat so that many can be made in advance and it looks very attractive and is not hard to undo

The Fan is also a common fold found in many restaurants and like the Bishop's Hat is a very quick fold once you get use to it. Although it takes a little more room than the Bishop's Hat

The Lily or Water Lily is for a more formal occasion and can dress up a sparse table, and by using a very large napkin can be used as a centre pieces. This attractive fold can also be used to store nuts or sweets at parties.

The Buffet is used more by caterers as the knife and fork can fit neatly in to the last fold and look very attractive, but as the name suggests this fold is best used in buffet settings and picnics