Need a last minute gift idea for this weekend’s Father’s Day? Then get him his favourite drink! From beer, wine and gin, to tea and coffee, here’s the roundup you need.
For beer loving dads
Britain’s oldest brewer Shepherd Neame has launched a new range of mini kegs. Its first range of 5 litre mini kegs is currently available in Whitstable Bay Pale Ale, Bear Island Triple Hopped Lager, Bear Island East Coast Pale Ale and Spitfire Amber. Priced from £27.50, order online from shop.shepherdneame.co.uk. and the brewery will donate £1 from every item ordered to Kent NHS Community Heroes. Allow a minimum of 3-4 working days for delivery.
If your dad’s into his stronger, European beers then look no further than Belgium. Duvel Strong Blond (8.5% abv) stands out clearly from other Belgian beers as a creature of elegance and finesse. It is a hyper blonde beauty, with its signature tornado of bubbles, its fine effervescence, and silky smooth taste. This golden beer has both power and elegant spice so it pairs very happily with a wide range of foods and dishes. Its backbone of barley sweetness means that Duvel is a fine contrast for cheeses as diverse as parmesan or stilton, or for Tandoori curries or chilli con carne. This beer sidles sinuously beside tempura vegetables, chicken pies, apple of pear tarts and many other pastry delights. Pork of any persuasion is heroic.
Duvel’s more exotic sibling, Duvel Tripel Hop Citra (9.5% abv), is based on the same Duvel recipe. The brew is then ‘dry hopped’ late in the process with a third hop – the aromatic American hop Citra – to enrich the flavour palate with hints of fresh grapefruit and tropical fruits. Tripel Hop can be treated as a full bodied Sauvignon Blanc, and paired with similar foods: goats’ cheese, seafood, grilled fish, veal, white or green asparagus and spicy vegetable curries.
This premium pilsner (5.0% abv) offers full-bodied, thirst-quenching refreshment from start to finish. With a slightly bitter aftertaste to keep you on your toes. This Belgian lager combines gentle malt sweetness with hints of lemon and a satin-like texture. So Vedett Blond’s best food accompaniments are similarly delicate, unspicy matches such as salted nuts, crisps, humous, salads, vegetable tarts, quiches, white fish, veal, chicken pies and Thai dishes.
This golden beer leaves citrus notes on the palate, followed by a refreshing, pleasantly spicy note, giving it a lovely lightness. With its 8% alcohol content and slightly spicy hop taste, La Chouffe has a fan club of beer lovers from all over the world. Like Duvel, La Chouffe is best with bigger or spicier flavours such as powerful cheeses, garlic chicken, grilled pork, Tandoori cuisine, spicy curries and cassoulet.
Find these beers in most supermarkets around the country or visit Beersofeurope.co.uk
Since it’s been a year of lockdown, maybe you’d like to treat dad to an experience? Then consider the ‘Beer and Cheese Pairing Experience’ at The Chesterfield Mayfair. Set just moments from London’s Berkeley Square, the Royal Academy and Burlington Arcade, the Terrace Bar at The Chesterfield Mayfair is one of London’s cosiest havens, with an enviable drinks menu and convivial atmosphere. For Dads with a discerning palate and sense of fun, The Chesterfield is offering a craft beer and artisanal cheese pairing experience in partnership with Neal’s Yard Dairy. Available for groups of two, the Chesterfield’s expert bar staff will take guests on a journey of farmhouse cheeses: Stichelton, a stilton-recipe blue cheese known for its soft and creamy texture and long-lasting flavours; Riseley, a washed-rind sheep’s milk cheese with hints of smoky bacon; Sinodun Hill, with a yoghurt flavour and light texture; and St. Cera, an intense and melting cheese. All will be best washed down with the produce of some of England’s most notable regional breweries and cider makers. Vouchers for the experience can be bought for £50 for two people, and are valid for two years so can be redeemed at fathers’ convenience once the hotel reopens.
For wine loving dads
In addition to Shepherd Neame, Produced in Kent (the voice of Kent’s food and drink businesses) is also promoting Woodchurch Wine – winners of “Kent wine of the year” at the 2020 Taste of Kent Awards. They are offering a special discount for Father’s Day: 5% off all their multi-award-winning sparkling and still wine from their beautiful vineyard in Kent. Order online at woodchurchwine.co.uk/collections/all and use discount code DAD5. Include a Father’s Day message free of charge. Delivery is £7.50 for orders under £60 or free over £60, please allow 3 working days.
If you’re after international wine, then Red Carnation’s famed South African winery, Bouchard Finlayson is a smart choice. Internationally renowned for its award-winning Pinot Noir it is served, alongside its exceptional Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs, at all of the Red Carnation collection’s luxury hotels. This Father’s Day, dads can be gifted the fruits of South Africa’s most awarded boutique wine estate straight to their homes with a delivery from Frontier Fine Wines. Choose from individual bottles, such as Bouchard Finlayson’s Galpin Peak (£29.50 per bottle), one of the Cape’s stand-out Pinot Noirs which exhibits the generous texture of the vintage, moderately rich yet supple. Intriguing perfumed dark cherry and wild berry, with espresso infused cinnamon spice add to this wine’s appeal; deftly balanced, it portrays elegance, but the tannins form neatly on a lengthy finish. Alternatively, Frontier Fine Wines is offering a special offer on a six bottle mixed case of Bouchard Finlayson’s white wines (£79.65 per case; normally £98.65), including the winery’s delicious Blanc de Mer, Walker Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Sans Barrique Chardonnay, Crocodile’s Lair Chardonnay and Missionvale Chardonnay.
www.bouchardfinlayson.co.za / www.frontierfinewines.co.uk
For gin loving dads
Craft Gin Club, the UK’s biggest gin subscription service, has curated four Perfect G&T bundles in time to celebrate Father’s Day.
The bundles, available on Craft Gin Club’s online shop, will help even the most novice gin fan create the perfect summertime G&T. Each bundle has been expertly paired to maximise gin lovers’ drinking experience and is complete with botanical information, tasting notes and serving suggestions.
The launch of its new online shop means that gin lovers without a Craft Gin Club membership can now also access some of the world’s finest craft gins, mixers, garnishes and other essentials for the first time.
The online shop offers a truly curated selection of UK and world craft gins, premium tonics, alternative mixers, cocktail syrups and garnishes. Gin fans can also purchase Craft Gin Club’s first recipe book, Gin O’Clock: A Year of Ginspiration – the ultimate gin guide packed with cocktail recipes for every season.
For coffee loving dads
How about treating the dad in your life to a selection of luxury coffee from The Gentlemen Baristas? Each coffee is eccentrically named after different types of gentleman’s hat and includes, ‘Stovepipe’, originally from Brazil, complete with notes of blueberry, marzipan and blueberry tart; the unique Kenyan ‘ Bowler’ with hints of cherry cola, blackcurrant and white grape; or try the ‘Pretender’ decaf from Guatemala, containing notes of caramel, dark chocolate and cherry. The Gentlemen Baristas’ entire range is available for purchase online and in all their coffee houses where knowledgeable baristas are on hand to guide coffee lovers through which bean to buy.
Alternatively, Indy Coffee Box is delivering speciality-grade coffee (the good stuff that only baristas usually get their hands on) direct to peoples’ doors. The monthly coffee subscription service works like this: the Indy Coffee team (who also publish the Indy Coffee Guides to the best cafes and roasteries in the UK) source top-notch beans from independent and small coffee roasteries across the UK. Each month they curate a hand-picked collection of 2, 3, or 4-coffee bag boxes, which are sent in the post in a bright yellow box to their subscribers.
The coffee is freshly roasted for the boxes and arrives just 5 days after being roasted, so it’s at optimum freshness, which means flavour. Some supermarket coffee might have been sitting in the bag for months going stale. Coffee is delivered as beans for grinding at home (again for optimum freshness and flavour).
For tea loving dads
The luxurious Rubens at The Palace, overlooking the Royal Mews of Buckingham Palace, is steeped in royal history, and the hotel’s delicious afternoon tea offering is every bit as regal. The perfect Father’s Day treat for the whole family, Royal Afternoon Tea is served in the hotel’s opulent Palace Lounge, with a menu comprising mouth-watering treats inspired by royal events, and washed down with a selection of refreshing blended teas. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are available. Vouchers for the Royal Afternoon Tea can be bought for £109 for two adults and one child (additional children will be charged at £19 each), and are valid for two years so can be redeemed once the hotel reopens.
