I hope my dad will be very happy this year, with plenty of exciting options and potential gifts available. Whether you’ve got a dad who loves a great snack or a slight tipple, I have the ultimate gift idea for this Father’s Day, so read on for some inspiration

Food Gifts

If he’s got a sweet tooth or an eye for something tasty (which is virtually every dad that ever existed), then something edible might be the best option.

Cheese

Having just come back from the Cheese Rolling event, I can certainly say I’m a big fan of cheese. So is my entire family and this definitely rings true for my dad. A luxurious cheese is completely different to what you’ll get in your average supermarket, the taste is absolutely scrumptious. I have to offer a huge recommendation for the mouth-watering Snowdonia Cheese Company range. This is a world apart from anything I’m used to, making me want to jump on a train over to Wales.

They also come in very slick packaging, while the packaging can include a freezer pack so if you get it delivered you don’t have to worry about it going off. In the images I have both the black bomber extra mature cheddar and the vintage red Leicester. It’s hard to pick a favourite as they both taste so great, but I’d have to go for the red Leicester.

Chocolate

This isn’t just an idea for Mother’s Day, my dad is just as big of a chocolate fiend. During younger years, milk chocolate was always a winner, however as the taste buds mature it definitely switches to dark chocolate, with a minimum of 80% cacao.

If this matches up with your taste buds then you might want to check out Benefit Chocolate. However, these aren’t just great tasting 85% cacao chocolate, no, these have something different to offer. Their range includes Protein (19% plant based), vitamins (12 key vitamins included) and Energy (with B vitamins and caffeine), all of which are suitable for vegans.

Considering my parents are both now more conscious about what they consume, this they can sneak into their diet with absolutely no issues, the hardest part will be giving it without losing a finger.

Drink Gifts

I know my dad well, anything alcohol based and their will be a big smile on his face! But it is nice to buy something they wouldn’t normally get when on a special occasion, something a little fancy rather than a cheap bottle of prosecco from Tesco’s, so read on for some inspiration.

Milk Vodka

I’m sorry, what was that? Oh, a vodka that is made purely from milk, doesn’t give you a hangover and contains less sugar, yer that sounds pretty good! Black Cow has grown significantly since it hit the market seven years ago, being a favourite of Stephen Fry and Kate Beckinsale.

We’ve tried it, tested it, woken up fine after a great night! The taste is so smooth that you can actually sip it with ice (not that I recommend that unless you plan on getting a little too tipsy).

Red Wine

Sure, you can grab any old bottle, but I want to talk about something a little exciting, Apothic Inferno. This Californian red wine isn’t your usual bottle, it has been aged in whiskey barrels for 2 months, creating a completely new flavour, something they are building a huge reputation for.

This is a fiery red blend that brings a unique taste experience to wine and whiskey fans alike, inspired by the time-honoured craft of whiskey-making. Filled with flavours of maple, vanilla and charred spice, this wine is perfect to enjoy with succulent meats or indulgent chocolate desserts. You can find this gorgeous wine stocked in Sainsbury’s for £13.

Gin

The growth in popularity of gin has been simply remarkable, with a number of great brands introducing various different flavours containing different botanicals to offer something unique. One I’d love to push is the Hedgepig range, specifically the zesty elderflower. The drink is 29.8% and uses English homegrown and local wild elderflower, so you can worry less about your carbon footprint while also helping a local business.

If elderflower doesn’t sound quite right for your dad, you have the choice of glorious gooseberry, wild bullace & quince and Cambridge gage. Or you could also go for their other Cambridge based gin Pinkster, which contains real raspberries.

Another gin I would love to highlight is Nordes Atlantic Galician Gin. This is Spain’s fastest growing premium gin, with herbal and highly aromatic flavours, making it the perfect accompaniment to a wide range of savoury and sweet dishes.

It’s produced in a small distillery close to Santiago de Compostela, utilising white albarino grapes. Verbena is paired with laurel, samphire and mellow sage, warmed up with a pinch of Juniper, cardamom, ginger, hibiscus and black tea. Oh, but if that isn’t all enough, it comes in the great ice bucket as you can see in the picture, the definition of classy!

Beer

Dads = beer, it’s official. But times have changed a lot, you no longer have to settle for whatever they had on tap down the pub, the list seems to be growing by the day with some really exciting IPA’s coming out. I can definitely recommend the Lowlander beer range.

With botanicals being largely used in gin and cocktails, it was only a matter of time until a brand came out and produced a similar version for a great tasting beer. Whatever his taste, I’m sure one of the below will tick the box for him:

• American pale ale brewed with blood orange grapefruit and sumac
• poorter brewed with vanilla and liquorice root
• white ale brewed with curacao orange, elderflower and chamomile
• IPA brewed with coriander seed and white tea
• Ginger & kaffir lime, cardamom, darjeeling tea & wheat beer
• Yuzu & pink grapefruit, earl grey tea and gose beer

Whisky

Nothing says class like a Scotch whisky. In fact, while travelling the world I was told if I was ever to go to India that I should pack some in my bag, as it is seen as the kindest gift you could give someone, considering how much it costs over there and how highly they value it.

Well, if your dad is just as appreciative to a single malt scotch whisky then there is only one option for you, the Glen Moray Fired Oak Scotch Whisky, aged for 10 years. It’s matured in ex bourbon and virgin charred oak casks for extra smoothness. About as smooth as you will look when drinking it on the rocks.