There seems to be a Shakespeare quotation for every occasion and dilemma. When it comes to justifying a little gastronomic indulgence in the face of puritan health-fanatics, we have a tailor made couple of lines from the aptly-named Sir Toby Belch. Sir Toby is one of the most colourful characters in the Bard's transitional cross-dressing comedy-romance, Twelfth Night. Rotund, robust, and never short of a drink or two, Sir Toby defends his lifestyle to the haughty Malvolio with a rambunctious and highly worthy rhetorical retort: Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?



Sir Toby makes a difficult point simply. Just as exercising restraint does not make you a birch-rod Puritan, so too enjoying the finer things in life does not make you a hedonist, nor an Epicurean, nor a wild bohemian of gargantuan proportions. Sir Toby makes it clear that there are virtues in cakes and ale: and we should appreciate them when we can.

With this in mind, why not extend a few similar pleasures towards your friends and family next time you want to treat them? Gifts that are good on the stomach always go down a treat, whether your loved ones are Sir Toby Belch gluttons or Malvolio-esque figures of restraint. Next time you are thinking about flower delivery, why not see what else online florists have to offer, as you may find that they offer something for the tastebuds as well as the eyes.

Sites such as Interflora have several food and drink hampers available, stuffed full of goodies from conserves and liqueurs to cheeses, chocolates and wines. Even your friends who think of their bodies as temples can find hampers worth sacrificing to the altar of their digestion: the company provides two types of fruit basket, with a standard selection or a lively tropical option. But if you know your loved one is a bit more of a Sir Toby, try a luxurious Duchy basket, full of Duchy Originals organic products. Or you could add a box of chocolate to a bouquet, if you feel that the flowers you send should be enjoyed with something a little more wicked. All the ?virtuous? ones in the world cannot deprive us mere mortals of our cakes and ale?