Thursday, 27 May 2021

Fathers Day - Gifts to Suit All Dads

{This is a collaborative post - I have received the items in this post free of 
charge for the purpose of writing about them. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases, any affiliate links will be marked with #ad}

It's only a few weeks until Fathers Day in the UK and as such many of us are thinking about what gift to buy our dads or our kid's dad. It's always nice to get something a little different and I definitely enjoy buying gifts that will be well received and suit the recipient's interests, but men are notoriously hard to buy for. Therefore I am sharing some ideas of different items to get the dad in your life. 


For the Dad Chef - Opinel 4 Piece Kitchen Knife Set from Whitby & Co

A couple of Christmas' ago my son received a classic Opinel working man's knife, which he takes camping and out into the woods. It is a great product that has stayed sharp and still remains his favourite for outdoors work. With that in mind, I ordered my husband this Opinel Loft 4 piece kitchen knife set. It contains all the essentials - a peeler, paring knife, serrated knife and vegetable knife. I love the fact they each come with a different coloured wood handle, and there are loads of colourways available so you can order what suits your kitchen.

Both my husband and I originally trained as chefs, so we are very fussy about our knives and have owned many knives from the big brands, but we'd never had an Opinel between us and I can honestly say they have now become a favourite. I would happily buy their knives again and at £32.95 for the set, I think they are great value. I thinking of buying the 4 piece table knife (#ad) set soon for when we have steak. 


For the Sporty Dad - Adidas T-shirt & Nike Socks

If your dad enjoys his sports and keeping fit, then some stylish clothes for exercising will always be a hit with him. We recently shopped with Mainline Menswear online and it was a great experience, that I'll happily repeat again and again.

This grey Adidas Originals 3 stripe t-shirt (#ad) was £25 and a pack of 6 Nike trainer socks for £12, which was an excellent price. I was able to use cashback and student discount too and that bought the prices down 15%, so it felt like a bargain shop. Delivery was quick and tracked and we had to do a return, which was fast and efficient as well. All in all, an excellent shopping experience. 

Mainline Menswear have a really large range on their site and there are around 85 brands to choose from. 


For the Foodie Dad - Tunworth & Winslade Cheeses from the Hampshire Cheese Company

These fabulous handmade artisan cheeses are divine and I can't recommend them highly enough. The Tunworth is a soft mould-ripened cheese with a full flavour. Ramond Blanc says it is "the best camembert in the world" and I'm included to agree, it was so tasty. The whole cheese (250g) retails at £8.45 and comes in its traditional wooden box. It is a super centrepiece for an evening cheese and drinks party. 

The Winslade has a more gentle flavour and is best eaten with a spoon. It is suggested that it is best paired with a cider, which I didn't try, but I can confirm it is great with a ruby port. This Vacherin/ Camembert cross is encircled in a spruce collar which gives Winslade a unique and distinctive pine note. I have to admit I didn't notice this, but despite that I did enjoy it a lot and would happily buy it again. This also retials for £8.45
  • Visit the Hampshire Cheese Company and you can buy the cheeses online for home delivery, or you can search on the website for a stockist local to you. 
  • Find them on Instagram too



For the Photo-loving Dad - Personalised Photo Towel from ASDA Photo


My husband is an avid wildlife photographer and quite rightly he is pretty proud of some of the wonderful pictures that he captures. He likes personalised gifts and over the years I think he has received many, so things like a mug, mouse mat or canvas are old hat for him, but he's never received a towel before. 

Miss E helped me to choose some of his images to use on the towel and as we live right by a lake, this will be perfect to take down there when we sit on the bank and paddle out feet or the girls go for a full-on swim. I love that this towel is enormous at 160cm x 80cm but it is quite a thing material and this means it rolls or folds up really small and is therefore very portable.

Don't be fooled by the thinness, it is still a great feeling towel, there is double-sided technology with the digital edge to edge printing on a 100% microfibre side and the other side is the traditional 400gsm 100% cotton towel fabric. I was a little worried as the label said not to tumble dry the towel and I do like to, so we have soft towels but I was super soft that even with line drying this towel dried quickly and was soft to the touch. So it is a great all-around product.

The cost for the large size is £37.00 and there is a smaller size available too for £26.00 (which is 140cm x 70cm). You can choose from multiple pre-made designs to add your photos in, or do what I did and just choose a blank collage template and create your own design.

I've used the ASDA Photo site a few times before and found the site really easy and intuitive to use for uploading your images and creating something special. I'll definitely use the service again and I'd happily recommend it. 



For the Dad with a Sweet Tooth - ChocFACE Personalised Chocolates


I've not seen personalised Belgium chocolates before but that's what we have here. I think these ChocFACE chocolates make a super gift. Again my girls chose some of my husband's photos to go onto his chocolates and we were all in awe at the quality of the printing and detail. Who knew you could print onto a chocolate and it would look so detailed?

The price is £14.95 for the box of chocolates and £2.00 for postage. For that price, you get 5 small and one extra-large chocolate, which all fit in a sturdy and smart-looking red box, which should fit through most letterboxes and therefore makes a convenient gift. 

Each chocolate is the photo printed using digital ink (it's worth noting there are a number of artificial colourings used to get the detailed photo) onto white chocolate, and this is stuck on top of the Belgium milk chocolate, making a really tasty treat. 

Each box is posted by 1st class with Royal Mail and takes 1-2 days to arrive. I found the online system to personalise the chocolates super easy. It honestly couldn't be simpler. You choose what you like your inlay paper to say (ours just said Happy Fathers Day) and then you upload the 6 photos and you can use the zoom function to get the right amount of detail on the chocolate.


For the Stylish Dad - Sunglasses from Trendhim


We've ordered from the Trendhim website before and have found their products, service and delivery excellent, so I was very happy to choose some sunglasses for my dad for Fathers Day. There is a massive selection and the Ambit brown gradient sunglasses (#ad) I choose are just lovely. They retail for 49 Euros and come with a soft pouch case in a stylish cardboard box. The glasses have 100% UV protection and are polarised to reduce glare. 

The products do ship from Denmark but I have always found the delivery to be very quick and efficient, and I like that I get email notifications to keep me up to date. Trendhim doesn't only sell sunglasses, you can also buy men's jewellery, stylish leather goods, watches and other men's accessories.  


For the Cool Dad - Vans Rucksack from Mainline Menswear


This was the first time I had shopped with online retailer Mainline Menswear but I have been very impressed and have bookmarked this gem for future shopping. Not only could I get 5% cashback with Quidco, but I could also use a 10% student discount by shopping direct. I do love a bargain, it makes me all the more likely to shop again! lol Mainline Menswear has a huge range, with around 10,000 separate items from 85 brands, such as Nike, Superdry, BOSS and Paul Smith. 

The Vans rucksack (#ad) is iconic with its bold black and white check, it retails for £30 and is a great size to hold all your needed items on a day out. It measures approx. 17 x 14 x 3" and has a large inside pocket, zipped front pouch pocket, canvas strap and padded back straps for comfort. It's a great all-around bag for the fashion-conscious dad.

Delivery is free when you spend £35 or more and so are exchanges. We had to exchange a top and it was quick and painless to do so. 



For the Geeky Dad - The Kikkerland Galileo Thermometer at Jarrold


Jarrold has been a family name for shopping in Norfolk for the last 250 years and thanks to the advances of the internet, we can now all enjoy shopping with them online. They are stocking this great Galileo thermometer from Kikkerland. I think it looks really stylish on it's Beechwood wooden base, which holds the glass globe securely.

The metal tags on the glass balls help you tell the temperature by rising and falling according to the temperature. They show both Celsius and Fahrenheit and it measures approx. 10cm x 8cm, so is easy to keep on display. It retails for £25.00.
  • The Kikkerland Galileo hermometer is available from Jarrold.



For the Teetotaller Dad - Three Spirit Non-Alcoholic Drinks


As the weather improves it is so nice to be able to enjoy a drink in the garden and a change from a cup of tea is always welcome. If the dad you are buying for is teetotal, or wishing to cut back on alcohol the drinks from Three Spirit are perfect, as they are still an enjoyable and interesting drink, but with non of the ill effects of alcohol.

There are three delicious plant-based alternatives to alcohol-free spirits, made with active ingredients designed to stimulate the palate, body and mind. Each one has been designed by plant scientists and bartenders. They retail at £24.99 for a 50cl bottle or you can buy the three together for the discounted price of £64.97.

There are three different drinks -
Livener - energising, exotic and fiery (guayusa and Schisandra, berries) 
Social Elixir - elevating, bittersweet, herbal (green tea and cacao) 
Nightcap  - calming, woody, mellow (Valerian root and lemon balm)

I think the bottles look very stylish and they made a great centrepiece for a BBQ we had last weekend with friends. The hit in our group was the Nightcap, especially when mixed with a little orange juice and soda water. So it becomes a long and refreshing drink. My personal favourite was the Livener and I just had this with tonic water and some ice, it was a triumph!
 

For the Dad who enjoys self-care - ARRAN Sense of Scotland Washbag Gift Set

The ARRAN Sense of Scotland (#ad) products have been proudly made on the Isle of Arran for over three decades. I was attracted to the sound of the Machrie scent which contains a balanced blend of sea salt, clary sage and the woody earthiness of rockrose. I wasn't disappointed when it arrived and I could actually smell the scent, it is very masculine but not too overpowering.

The Machrie men's wash bag gift set retails for £45 and for this you get a really nice quality grey cotton canvas washbag, that has a double zip wide opening for easy access and various zip and velcro pockets and places to store all your personal items, like your razor.  As well as the wash bag, you get a full-size bath and shower gel (300ml), shave gel (100ml), aftershave balm (100ml) and soap (100g).

At £45 the gift set is really good value as the individual items bought separately would come to more than that cost before you even add in the wash bag cost. It is also a really premium brand that looks great and will make a very special gift for the dad who enjoys his pamper time. 



For the Dad who likes a Fuss made of Him - Bubblegum Fathers Day Balloons Delivered to your Door


If your dad loves a bit of fuss, or maybe a party then these helium-filled balloons are perfect if you have;t got the time (or the inclination) to head to the shops and collect some balloons. These ones come ready inflated in a box and delivered to your door. 

There is a large variety of designs and you can choose how many to have in your bundle. One inflated balloon is £12.50, which feels a little steep to me, but if you order three the price is £20.00, which then feels much better and just £48 for a 9 balloon bundle if you want an extra special delivery. Each balloon is delivered in its own box and there is a £4.95 delivery charge accordingly as they come via courier. I was pleased to see that the shipping is free of your 2nd+ boxes and this you only pay the one £4.95 delivery charge.

You nominate a day for your delivery and it will arrive with you between 8am - 8pm by DHL. Or you can pay another £3 if you'd like to guarantee your delivery will come before 2pm. Or if you live close to Farnborough in Hants you can choose to collect or use their local delivery service.

Bubblegum doesn't only just do Fathers Day balloons thought, they cater for all occasions and can deck out your wedding, corporate event or any other party you're planning. They also do some very beautiful personalised balloons with writing on a clear balloon with confetti inside. 


For the Dad with a sweet tooth - Pic & Mix London Movie Night 825g Sweet Mix


If your Dad has a sweet tooth he'll love so many of the sweet treats available from Pick & Mix London. I love the story behind this business, with it being born from a couple of friends love of sweets and the inability to get decent pick & mix (#ad) delivered during the first lockdown. So they provided a solution!

We received the £14.00 movie mix, which is a mix of classic sweets and more modern treats. My personal favourite was the chocolate covered honeycomb and it was nice to see an old fashioned treat like the foam mushrooms. One of my daughters was over the moon to find the giant snake too. Some of our sweets had been swapped from what was advertised so that was a surprise but we did receive the right amount and sweets of equal value. We certainly had an indulgent movie night together with these sweets.

For the Tip Top Dad - Kikkerland Sneaker Cleaning Kit


There are many people who spend a good amount of time each weekend cleaning their sneakers and this smart little kit in a tin is a great and inexpensive gift idea for them. The kit contains 1 beechwood handle bristle brush, 1 easy erase sponge, 1 microfiber cloth and 10ml cleaning solution.

It is a simple gift that does what t says on the tin, allows you to clean your trainers beautifully and it can be picked up in many independent stores or online.  

Personalised Card from ASDA Photo


Of course, you'll need a card to go alongside your gift and why not add the extra special touch and order a personalized one? This one we ordered from ASDA Photo was a real bargain at £1.90 for a 5 x7" gloss coated card and envelope. 

There are loads of pre-loaded designs to choose from. Literally, something for every occasion and you can often personalise the words as well as the photos. I was bowled over once we started to create our card to find that you could add photos to literally every side of the card. We went for 3 sides. Having a current photo of us all on the front, a young photo of each of our children and my husband on the inside cover and then a whole matrix of old photos that will hopefully make him smile on the back.

I think this is the best value card I've ever bought given how personalised it is. 


I hope you enjoy our recommendations of gift ideas for all kinds of Dads this Fathers Day. Mich x
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