I use the sterling infrequently. I do use the sterling and gold-washed sterling serving pieces quite often. I also use chopsticks for some meals. Not all chopsticks are raw wood. Some are enameled, some are plastic, some are ivory. I’ve eaten sushi and sashimi with everything, including plastic and fingers (sashimi/sushi prepared by certified chef right on the beach.) Sorry, but I notice no difference. And my family and friends rely on my sense of taste because they believe it is sensitive.
A few months ago there was an article, also from a Brit source, IIRC, to the effect that silver, with its antiseptic qualities, was used by the upper classes to avoid illness. Personally, I believe this is all just nonsense. Notice the use of *posh* in this headline. Just another “everyday folks against the elite” sort of thing, IMO.
Just because you notice no difference doesn’t mean there isn’t one. When it comes to taste-buds we’re in a serious “your mileage may vary” world. Not everybody works the same. There are stories periodically about how people can’t tell the difference between low end and premium boozes, which is true for those who don’t know their way around that booze, but if you’ve trained you palate you can. Not everybody’s taste-buds work the same, both because of exposure and pure genetics, look at cilantro, people love it or hate it and studies on it show that the people who hate it SHOULD because their taste-buds detect cilantro as really nasty and bitter. You just might not have metal detecting taste-buds.
Silverware made of silver IS posh, it’s expensive and requires maintenance. Doesn’t make this a regular folks vs elites, many regular folks have a silver silverware set, gets used with the “good china”. I see it more as a “that stuff you only break out for the BIG meals might not be what you want to use.”