BOLTON comedian Paddy McGuinness has caused something of a twitter storm about dining etiquette.

Tweeting on Sunday, the Take Me Out Star wrote: “Anyone else still have dinner on their lap and put their bread on the chair arm? Standard practice in our house growing up. I remember the first time I had tea at a mate’s and the shock of seeing his family sat at a table? They didn’t even have the telly on???”

More than 3,000 liked his tweet – which was accompanied by a photograph showing his lunch, on a cushion on his lap - with 474 chipping in with their (largely ungrammatical) responses.

Teresa Wright tweeted: “Deffo av tea on mi knee n bread on arm that's just standard in our house. Only sit at table for crimbo din”.

While Michael Readymarcher wrote: “Feet up on the recliner bread on arm dinner on lap and larger on table beside me.”

Also in agreement were Louisa Taylor (“I still eat on my lap we have a table but never use it”), Jayne Green (“Plate on my lap, TV on, brew by my feet...job done”) and Andrea Evans (“Haha..Have just done EXACTLY that in our house!!”).

There were some detractors, however, with some tweeters explaining family meals were still eaten at the table because it is one of the few opportunities for family members to get together and actually talk to each other.

For others, it depends on the circumstances.

“Sometimes at the table for a chat. Then busy times on my lap in front of the telly, bread on my knee,” tweeted Cheryl Woods,.

So what do you think? Is eating with your meal on your lap and a slice of bread on the chair arm common or convenient? Is it your preferred way of dining? Do you even have a dining table in your home?