Father’s Day 2021: 25 gift ideas to treat the great man in your life
It comes around quickly every year, so be prepared for Father’s Day on Sunday 20 June, and treat the father figure in your life to a gift more thoughtful than something you hastily picked up on a last-minute supermarket sweep.
What to get men for presents is always a dilemma. More often than not, they will just buy it for themselves, or be so incredibly picky about something that it’s almost not worth going for a surprise.
Here we’ve rounded up classic gifts, from bamboo socks (everyone loves getting socks, let’s be honest) to handcrafted travel wallets, as well as little luxuries like chocolates and handmade kitchen knives.
To make our selection, we were looking for fun, well made and thoughtfully designed gifts that would either be enjoyed straight away (like gin and cheese) or simply wouldn’t be left to gather dust.
Instead, we found brands that care not only about their products, but their impact on the world and are made to last. From well-known brands like Lego to Le Creuset, to more independents going above and beyond like Strong Coffee and Small Beer Brew Co.
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Whether he’s a gardener, a gin-lover, enjoys cooking, gardening or is a fashionista, we’ve found a range of gifts to make him smile. And best of all? None of them include a “World’s Best Dad” oversized mug…
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.
Borough Box great taste beer snacks gift box
More often than not, dads can be hard to buy for. They’ve either bought it for themselves, or already have it. Enter the edibles. They won’t be left at the back of the wardrobe, still unpackaged and never looked at. Instead, these will be used, enjoyed and much loved thanks to it’s well chosen selection of goodies from excellent brands.
We bet any dad will love the "drinks biscuits" from The Drinks Bakery as much as us – little savoury discs made from mature cheddar, chilli and almond that will be devoured before you know it. There’s also four beers, crackers, nuts and crisps. He’ll have a dreamy afternoon spent tucking into these, and will no doubt be very thankful for that.
Buy now £29.99, Boroughbox.com
Wingback Winston travel wallet
Now that travel is back up and running in some form, make sure he’s ready for the next family holiday with this swish travel wallet holder. It’s made from vegetable tanned Tuscan leather, which is a byproduct from the meat industry, and is super smooth and soft. It’s also handmade and uses saddle stitching on the exterior, which you can choose from a handful of colours to either match or contrast. Its biofold design makes it easy to access everything inside, which holds that all-important passport, up to 12 cards and notes too. Finally, personalise it with initials, and he’ll make sure he’ll never misplace his passport again.
Buy now £120.00, Wingback.co.uk
Condimaniac customisable hot sauce, 227ml
For any hot sauce and spice lovers, the chance to create your own personalised sauce (or to recieve one created for you) is pretty cool. This customisable sauce is from the brand behind TikTok’s famous The Good Bagel Seasoning. You could either make one for your dad yourself, and even add a picture and name to the label, or give it as a gift for him to do himself. All you need to do is choose the base, vinegar, heat, flavours and character and wait for it to arrive to devour.
Buy now £18.99, Condimaniac.com
Brew Tea porcelain 400ml mug and jug set
If your dad loves a good brew in the morning, treat him to one on Father’s Day in this new mug. The set is from one of our favourite tea brands, Brew Tea, which is a Manchester based brand making IndyBest’s favourite plastic free tea bags. There’s also loose leaf tea and lots of other lovely tea paraphernalia, but we like this cool grey and white mug with a mini matching milk jug. The handle is nice and big and we like the tapered shape - it’s clean, simple and Scandi-inspired and we’re sure it will quickly become his go-to.
Buy now £16.00, Brewteacompany.co.uk
Desmond & Dempsey Malagasy blue and lemon stripe shirt and shorts, organic linen
Now we have the opportunity to wear our "normal" clothes again, that doesn’t mean we’re over nice jammies, and neither will your dad be, especially when he unwraps a Desmond & Dempsey pair. New for this year is the Lowlands range, which is inspired by the colours and form of the world’s lowland forests, where lots of fruits grow and animals hang out, hence the introduction of the lemur and dragon tree prints.
The Malagasy print here is a new take on the brand’s existing bold and bright medina stripe, which features orange and turquoise. Here it’s more muted, earthy tones based on the tamarindus india plant which produced brown pods with a tangy pulp inside used in cooking. Made from organic linen, the shirt fit is boxy and looks just as good worn at home as it does out and about with black denim jeans, or on the beach with the matching shorts (£90, Desmondanddempsey.com), which have a tie elasticated waist and sit just above the knee with an upturned hem. The shirt and shorts are sold separately.
Buy now £210.00, Desmondanddempsey.com
Salcombe daring gin 50cl, 46%
From one of our favourite distillers, this Devon-based brand has been upping its gin game by collaborating with top chefs. This time around it is with Paul Ainsworth who owns and runs No 6 restaurant in Padstow with his wife Emma. The flavour of this gin is based on one of the chef’s dishes which uses plenty of Cornish foraged botanicals.
Limited to 10,000 bottes, the gin is full of fresh flavours from lime and blood orange, to fennel, seashore herbs, a hint of oyster leaf and topped off with warming allspice. It’s rich and velvety and finishes with a wonderful citrus tang and a little warmth. Dad will love to serve it in a big glass over plenty of ice with a slice of a crunchy apple. If you purchase it without the box, Salcombe Gin will donate £5 to the Marine Conservation Society.
Buy now £75.00, Salcombegin.com
Daylesford large gardening trowel and fork
Gardening loving dads will be even more keen to get out in the garden and plant new bulbs and flowers with these beautiful tools. Made by a family run business who have been making tools for 115 years, we like the ergonomically designed smooth wooden handles, which are made from ash and are easy to hold and use. The trowel, made from steel, is 18cm long with a nicely pointed tip, making it easy to break even the hardest soil. It is longer and narrower than many trowels, but we think it makes it easier to be more precise. If you want to give more than one, there’s also the matching three-pronged fork (£22, Daylesford.com) which together make a nifty new set. And to make sure they don’t go walkies, hang them up by the string in the shed.
Buy now £42.00, Daylesford.com
Ooni koda 12 pizza oven
Who doesn’t love a pizza? We’re sure you’ve all seen one of these by one – including dad – and it’s something the whole family will benefit from too. So club together with siblings and treat him to one of these Ooni ovens and he’ll be keen to make you all pizzas again and again. First choose between wood fire and gas – we like the ease of gas – and then get ready for dad to get practising to perfect his dough. You’ll need to buy a gas canister too from a hardware shop and it comes with the gas regulator and hose. At just 9.25kg, it’s super portable and is only marginally larger than the pizza stone base that it comes with too. The legs prop out, but you’ll want to put it on a table so you can see into it more easily.
It reaches 500 degrees Celcius in just 15 minutes, and then cooks pizzas in a minute. Although you’ll need to turn them for even cooking (hence wanting to be able to see inside). So we recomend using a pizza paddle too help with this too. Pizzas come out wonderfully bubbly just like you’d get in any good pizza restaurant. And when you add up the cost of a few pizza deliveries, with this you’ll actually be saving money, and having more fun!
Buy now £299.00, Ooni.com
Common coffee in strong, 250g
Started by friends who all worked in the coffee industry, Common Coffee has four roasts: strong, sweet, bright and complex. Our favourite is the first for its punchy hit and powerful but delicious flavour with beans from Brazil and Colombia that will get dad moving in the morning. We also love that the bags and labels are fully compostable and biodegradable in any environment, be it water, compost or landfill.
Buy now £7.00, Commoncoffee.co.uk
Prezzybox chocolate spanner and nuts
Want a novelty gift but don’t want to be tacky? Here it is. This incredibly realistic looking spanner and nuts and bolts little gift set is great for dads who are always spending time fixing things, and also love chocolate too. Made from dark chocolate, it’s gluten free, too.
Buy now £13.99, Prezzybox.com
Lego Creator Volkswagen beetle
Everyone loves a bit of childhood toy nostalgia now and then and who doesn’t love old classic car design? This Lego beetle 1960s model brings those two together perfectly, and is perfect for any classic Beetle owning dads. From the brand’s Creator section, designed for 16-plus, this model has more than 1,000 pieces, including a surfboard, ice box, towel and a round VW badge for the front of the car – just make sure he doesn’t throw away the instructions and it will keep him occupied for hours, if not days.
Buy now £132.87, Amazon.co.uk
ProCook bamboo steamer
For the dad who loves to cook, and more specifically loves dishing up anything from Chinese to Vietnmaese food, this is an absolute winner. The two tier steamer – with a lid – is one of the most versatile and cheapest cooking items anyone can have in their kitchen arsenal. From steaming vegetables or dim sum to cooking rice. The benefit is steaming keeps in more nutrients than boiling veg. It’s also made from sustainable bamboo, can be put directly on the table to serve and is super easy to clean. A win win in our eyes.
Buy now £18.00, Procook.co.uk
Rococo sea salt organic milk chocolate wafer thins
From one of the country’s best chocolatiers, these large but delicate discs of chocolate are little slices of heaven in our eyes, thanks to the silky milk chocolate and little hints of delicious sea salt: our favourite combination. It’s certainly a big step up from a chocolate orange – just don’t expect dad to share these.
Buy now £16.95, Rococochocolates.com
Che Studios ocean blue sunseeker shorts
Creating small run collections, Che speciailises in just shorts and shirts and has a sustainable ethos running through everything. The sunseeker swim shorts are the brand’s signature design, and are made with recycled nylon made from waste yarns. The rather smart design – with a zip fly, two side pockets and mesh lining, means they can be worn swimming (as intended) – as well as anywhere away from the pool.
But what our tester loved most about these is the ribbed waistband, and inside it has silicone bands that helps keep them in place, too. There’s also a zipped back pocket so he can keep keys in. There’s 13 colours to choose from, but we think the ocean blue shade is perfect for summer.
Buy now £85.00, Chestudios.co.uk
Moshi otto q wireless charging pad
Wires are annoying: fact. We’re slowly getting rid of them when it comes to headphones etc, but chargers are where we really need it. Obscenely long cables trailing from sockets to tables are a real no no. Instead of people tripping over them and losing them (we all do), go wireless with this nifty pad. It’s small and has non-slip feet and is sleek enough to go unnoticed as a piece of tech in your home. The pad is fast charging, which uses USB-C cables, and this is included, but you’ll need to buy a fast-charging wall plug to go with it. It’s compatible with Apple and Galaxy phones and can even charge Airpods too. So hopefully, he’ll never run out of battery again! Available in store only.
Buy now £44.95, Amazon.co.uk
'World Atlas of Coffee: From beans to brewing – coffees explored, explained and enjoyed' by James Hoffmann, published by Mitchell Beazley
Split into three sections, this book is the go-to for everything he’ll want to know about coffee, from the section about each of the 35 coffee-producing countries, explaining the differences between their produce and process, to the other two sections which focus on everything from its history to the best way to brew it. Written by champion barista and coffee expert James Hoffman, it’s an insiders guide to the industry that any coffee aficionado will devour.
Buy now £15.21, Amazon.co.uk
Clarins for men moisture balm, 50ml
Ok, so it moisturises well, it’s light and definitely isn’t greasy, but what’s our favourite thing about this cult-classic product? It’s the smell – a lovely clean and fresh light scent that will inspire him to use this every day. It’s also a travel-friendly size too, so there will always be room for this in his wash bag.
Buy now £31.00, Boots.com
Small Beer Brew Co gift pack
Forget all misconceptions of low alcoholic beer, as here, they’re just that – misconceptions. This Bermondsey brewery has made top notch beers that are only 2.8 per cent ABV and below. This gift pack has four little stubby 350ml bottles (as the name suggests): a classic pilsner lager, a session pale, an amber and a dark lager. Our favourite is the lager, but we’re sure dad will enjoy finding his fave too.
But it doesn’t stop at just producing low ABV drinks that you’d never know were just that: the brand is also London’s first brewery to achieve B Copr certification. To do this, it’s met the highest sustainable and environmentally friendly standards – a status all responsible companies strive for, but it’s incredibly difficult to achieve. So with each sip, you know it’s all come from a good place, plus it’s vegan.
Buy now £18.00, Theoriginalsmallbeer.com
Blenheim Forge santoku handmade knife
We think a handmade knife is the ultimate home cook’s accessory. This Japanese inspired santoku knife, handmade in south east London’s Peckham, is a firm favourite with the likes of Nigella Lawson and Mark Hix, and uses Japanese blue paper carbon steel as its core and is covered with folded iron cladding, meaning it’s super strong and very sharp.
With its 180mm blade, this is the most versatile knife from the brand, owing to its shape, slightly curved blade and ability to chop a multitude of ingredients. We just know he’ll love showing off his knife skills in the kitchen with this.
Buy now £275.00, Blenheimforge.co.uk
Cropwell Bishop Creamery quarter blue cheese
Very little has changed in this cheesemaking process since its beginnings in the 17th century, apart from using vegetarian rennet, that is. If it ain’t broke, etc. Using cow’s milk, this is an intensely creamy and smooth stilton, that’s soft yet crumbly to the touch which melts in the mouth. It’s been aged for 12 weeks to get that excellent mature blue flavour that it’s so well known for. We’re sure he’ll love to match it with crispy oat biscuits, a sweet fig chutney and a glass of pudding wine, or adding a generous slab of it to burgers on the barbecue. It weighs around 3.5kg and will certainly keep him going for a while, but there are smaller sizes available too.
Buy now £27.00, Cropwellbishopstilton.com
Smythson Panama flat sandstone card holder
If your dad is always losing (sorry, misplacing) cards, or has a wallet about to burst with store cards and receipts, he needs a cardholder. And they don’t come smarter than Smythsons. It’s a real treat considering the price tag versus the size, but it’s beautifully crafted leather. It has two slots per side for cards, plus one in the middle. We’d advise not to overload it with cards (keep it to the essentials like bank card and ID) to keep its shape for longer, and it will last years. You can also personalise it too with initials on the bottom right, from £6.95 per letter.
Buy now £115.00, Smythson.com
Slopes & Town dotty edition sockets
Ok, so no Father’s Day round-up would be complete without some socks. But forget socks with the kids’ faces on – or your dog – or anything like that. These socks are some of the best socks he’s ever going to own. Made by Slopes & Town, who designs everything in Amsterdam and has it made in Portugal, the set of four comes in contrasting colours, which are made from bamboo fibres and recycled bottles are oh-so soft and come in a kraft paper box, which is easy to recycle.
Buy now £49.00, Wolfandbadger.com
Le Creuset toughened non-stick rectangular roaster
Made from heavy aluminium, this pan spreads heat evenly thanks to the stainless steel disc on the bottom, which is cleverly suitable for all heat sources from induction to gas and will revolutionise everything from the humble Sunday roast to one-pot veggie wonders. As with all the brand’s products, it should last a lifetime if well looked after. It does come with a 10-year guarantee and is dishwasher safe, so dad won’t have to spend hours scrubbing it clean in the sink.
Buy now £219.24, Amazon.co.uk
Timberland ecoriginal recycled jacket
Although we might be well past April showers, this is still Britain after all, and you never do quite know when you’ll need a jacket (read: practically always). And with UK staycations set to be on the cards again this year, a trusty showerproof jacket is an absolute must whether you’re in Cornwall or Scotland.
Although it looks like a smart jacket, it’s actually pretty technical. Made from recycled nylon it has adjustable hood and cuffs, sealed seams making it waterproof, an inner membrane layer to prevent you getting wet and sweaty, and hand-warmer style pockets. It’s lightweight, so easy to pack for short trips, and we really like that it’s made from 100 per cent recycled polyester.
Buy now £110.00, Timberland.co.uk
Nightire men’s pj boxer shorts
Summer is practically here, and for many that means one thing: hot nights. So dad will be glad to swap his pjs for these shorts. Nightire makes all of its pjs from 100 per cent organic bamboo, giving them a silky feeling that also wicks away sweat on balmy nights – unlike cotton. We love this classic pj-stripey blue pair that has a nautical feel. For an added bonus, get his initials embroidered on too. The brand also does excellent women’s pjs too, in case mums wants a pair of her own (we know she will).
Buy now £29.00, Nightire.com
The verdict: Father’s Day gifts
The best buy goes to the Borough Box great taste beer snacks gift box, as it’s an affordble, edible gift full of tasty little luxuries that dad might not otherwise come across. And we know it will certainly get eaten.
We also think the Lego’s creator Volkswagen beetle brings together classic motor design with everyone’s favourite children’s toy that whiles away hours, and we love the detail Lego has gone into here too.
For those splashing out, we think you can’t go wrong with the Ooni Koda 12 pizza oven, but if you’re only after a token gift, the Common Coffee will go down a storm.
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