Here are a few ideas to suit varying budgets and levels of dad-fussiness.
Personal Grooming Gifts
Gillette and Braun have a great range of shaving products for your dad. The Husband tried the Braun WaterFlex WF2s Blue Shaver. Wet & Dry (Boots.com RRP £159.99) and was impressed with the close shave it gave, even in the shower. It has a contour adaptive swivel head and is fully waterproof. It also has an Optiblade foil, which Braun say is their "most advanced foil with ergonomically sized holes that cut hair deeper than ever before". The shaver has a rechargeable Li-Ion battery which fully recharges in one hour for 45 minutes of cordless shaving and an LED display to show how much battery is left. There's even a convenient 5 minute quick charge function for fast and easy shaving.
He tried the shaver with some new products from The Real Shaving Co. - their new 3 step system of products including the Daily Face Scrub, the Sensitive Shave Cream (or Sensitive Shave Gel) and the Sensitive Anti-Ageing Moisturiser. I had a lovely morning teasing him about his new found metrosexual tendencies, but he liked the products and the combined effect of the Braun Shaver and his new 3 step routine gave him a face far softer than mine!
The Face Scrub has gentle exfoliating beads with added almond oil and cocoa butter whilst the Sensitive Shave Cream contains Allatoin to sooth the skin. The Sensitive Anti-Ageing Moisturiser has an advanced soothing formula with Q10. The products retail at £3.99 for the Face Scrub and the Shave Cream (or Shave Gel) and £4.99 for the Moisturiser and are available from Boots.com.
Sweet Treats & Boozy Gifts
How about some Lily O'Brien's Desserts Collection Chocolates (£6.00) - one of a range of chocolate collections from the Irish chocolatier? This tempting collection contains 18 chocolate mini desserts including Creme Brûlée, Key Lime Pie, Raspberry Infusion, Passion Fruit Posset, Banoffee Pie and Hazelnut Torte.
There is also the Lily O'Brien's Ultimate Chocolate Collection (£5.00) which includes 16 Chocolates such as Double Chocolate Truffle, Simply Chocolate, Le Crunch Chocolat, Sticky Toffee, Hazelnut O'Brien, Caramel Macchiato, Death By Chocolate, Zesty Orange Chocolate, Lemon Meringue Pie and Praline Perfection. Indulgence overload!
Pocket money options include the Lily O'Brien's Dark Chocolate Stem Ginger Batons (£2.50), dark chocolate infused with real pieces of stem ginger in a handy re-sealable snacking pouch, Lily O'Brien's Milk Chocolate Creamy Caramels with Sea Salt Discs Sharing Pouch (£2.50), or the Lily O'Brien's Le Crunch Chocolat Pouch (£2.50), buttery crispy crumbs of caramelised French biscuits mixed with creamy milk chocolate. Lily O'Brien's chocolates are available in selected supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's.
Or what about a dram of luxury single malt whisky?
We tried Laphroaig Select (£34.99 from retailers such as Morrisons, www.thewhiskyexchange.com and www.masterofmalt.com. It has a deep smoky taste but a surprising gentle sweetness. We also tried The Ardmore Legacy (£29.99) from retailers such as Tesco and Morrisons. The whisky is a great introduction to peated single malt whisky, having a full bodied and smooth taste that is dry, spicy and has notes of creamy vanilla, smoky charcoal and savoury spices.
If wine is more to your dad's taste, why not try Lindeman's, Australia's number one heritage wine brand. Available at all good supermarkets nationwide including ASDA, Morrison’s, Waitrose, OCADO and off licenses, the brand's Bin Range has been spruced up with the new Lindeman's logo and a nod to Dr Henry Lindeman's philosophy that "the one purpose of wine is to bring happiness". He sounds an eminently sensible chap.
There is the Lindeman’s Bin 95 Sauvignon Blanc with fruity tones of green apples, which complement fresh flavours, like salads, making it a perfect choice for barbecues. Then there is the Lindeman’s Bin 35 Rose, a soft, fruity wine or Lindeman’s Bin 65 Chardonnay, a medium variety ideal for a celebratory family lunch, or on a sunny evening – if he doesn’t want to share. We tried the Lindeman's Bin 50 Shiraz which has berry plum flavours and a touch of spice, a perfect complement to a roast or just for easy drinking with bread, cheese and olives.
For further information about Lindeman’s and the rest of its Bin Series, just visit www.lindemans.com.
After so much indulgence why not give Dad this V neck compression ToneTee T-Shirt from Highstreet.TV? (£9.99). It's a control base layer which has body-shaping qualities. It's made from 360 degree high tech fabric which targets key problem areas which will help Dad look visibly slimmer and more athletic looking.
The Husband found it surprisingly comfortable and it did seem to have a slimming effect on what Caitlin and Ieuan refer to as the "daddy podge".
Well, we girls have to get our own back, don't we?
PR samples were received for the writing of this post.
