Is the dining table dead? From the way most of us eat our evening meals, it’s easy to think so.
Now reserved broadly for the year’s big-hitter events - think Christmas, Easter, and birthdays, most of us prefer gathering around the TV while sitting down to our evening meal.
Pearl-clutching traditionalists moan that this habit is a harbinger of end times. We say, hold your horses.
Okay, so we’re not sharing daily tidbits around a formal table (likely already dispatched in the household WhatsApp chat) but if Gogglebox has shown us anything, it’s that group-watching the latest shows, documentaries and movies can spark fresh discussion and strengthen family ties. Try watching Traitors together and witness their hidden layers emerge as the treachery unfolds on-screen.
And if you’re refuelling with dinner at the same time, well hey - let’s call that a win for multitasking.
A weak argument? Perhaps; but the data is undeniable. A survey carried out back in 2019/2020 found that a quarter of UK millennials always eat while watching the box, while slightly more Gen Z respondents said they did (30 per cent). More than a third of all those asked said they often eat a meal while watching telly.
If we’re eating in front of the box anyway, we may as well be comfortable doing it.
Laps are famously unreliable surfaces and make dining feel like you’re sitting in the middle row of economy class, elbows tucked in for extra balance. Coffee tables are admirable settings for handheld food - pizza, burgers - but their typically low level makes eating anything else an extra challenge, tedious when your stomach is rumbling with hunger.
A TV dinner tray, once the preserve of pensioners tucking into an early bird dinner, emerges victorious for screen-side dining.
Typically a tray with a padded underside to settle on your lap, or a tray with long legs to prop your plate and cutlery at the right height, these tables make snacking, munching and mainline chowing a much easier job.
They’re compact designs that can fold up and down with ease, meaning they’re easier to stow away when you’re not using them. For tiny London homes that don’t have the luxury of a proper dining room, they’re a brilliant space saver.
Save the dining room for best. For those ready to accept and embrace new societal norms, we’ve rounded up our favourite TV dinner trays to invest in now.
Shop below
John Lewis Oak Wood Folding Bed Tray
Dimensions: 26.5 x 40 x 65.1cm
Designed to spoil someone you love with breakfast in bed, this oak wood folding tray can easily be transplanted into the living room too. Use it as a way to temporarily increase the height of your coffee table, putting your meal up to a comfortable height. If the weather is on-side, it's a handy tool to bring condiments and snacks out to the garden in one go too.
Buy now £55.00, John Lewis
IKEA MARYD Tray table, dark red
Dimensions: 58 x 38 x 58cm
In a handsome deep red, IKEA's wooden tray table comes with a detachable top layer, meaning you can load up your plate, cutlery and glassware in the kitchen before ferrying the whole lot in one to your side of the sofa. You're getting a tray and side table in one here, meaning twice the homewares for your buck.
Buy now £45.00, IKEA
The White Company Whitewashed Rattan Breakfast Tray
Dimensions: 26cm x 75cm x 40cm
Living for weekend brunches? Do it in style with The White Company's bed tray, which comes with a compartment for the papers and supplements. Made from rattan with a whitewashed finish, the Indonesian-crafted tray feels sturdy on duvets but will also make a stylish extension to coffee tables.
Buy now £100.00, The White Company
Aidapt Wooden Lap Tray with Handles
Dimensions: 30 x 40 x 10cm
Tuck into soup, salads and more with this cushioned tray that makes balancing on your lap all the easier. It's fitted with D handles to make carrying it to and from the kitchen simple. The lack of legs is a bonus, as it can be stored in a cupboard when not in use.
Buy now £19.99, Amazon
Habitat Oken Folding Side Table - Black
Dimensions: 44 x 40 x 40cm
Available in black, white and grey, this folding side table is ready to slip seamlessly into a variety of interior schemes. The tray top is removable, allowing it to be used as a regular serving tray when guests come to call. The high sides mean less chance of anything crucial tumbling off. It folds down when you need to store it out of sight.
Buy now £25.00, Argos
Dunelm Rubberwood Natural TV Table
Dimensions: 66 x 37 x 48.5cm
One of the cheapest options on our list, Dunelm's table is the ideal low-cost addition to your living room set-up. It's a no-frills look - no detachable tray, for instance - but one that may appeal to minimalist-leaning households.
Buy now £12.00, Dunelm
Chums TV Table Valet
Dimensions: 2.5 x 50.8 x 40.6cm
Whether you're tucking into dinner or you want a flat surface for your laptop, this TV table valet offers a variety of uses. The height-adjustable legs slide under the sofa for extra stability and the whole design can be folded flat for compact storage.
Buy now £24.00, Amazon
Warmiehomy Folding Dining Table
Dimensions: 60 x 60 x 74cm
A fold-flat table that expands to give you extra space too? This nifty dining table is ideal for small flats, tucking away under a bed or behind a cupboard when you don't want it taking up floor space. It's a sturdy thing too, able to bear 50kg in weight despite weighing only 4.5kg itself.
Buy now £27.99, Amazon
Dunelm Bath Side Table, Iron
Dimensions: 72 x 40 x 40cm
Metallic accessories give a luxe edge to interiors, and this gold-coloured tripod side table available at Dunelm meets the brief. As well as two levels to keep throws, magazines, drinks and snacks, there’s also an integrated handle so you can move it around with ease.
Buy now £79.00, Dunelm
Mrs Alice Scalloped Rattan Tray with Stand
Dimensions: 55 x 40 x 66cm
The resort vibes are strong with this one. Every night spent in will feel like a holiday with this scalloped rattan design, which is actually a tray set upon a bamboo-themed metal stand.
It’s an update to a classic butler’s tray and means you can load drinks and snacks in the kitchen and carry it over in one go instead of ferrying to and fro to the kitchen.
Practical, and so pretty with it too.
Buy now £134.00, Mrs Alice
