Father’s Day 2021 falls on Sunday 20 June, and with Covid restrictions partially lifted, there are plenty of options for celebrating this year. From a gent’s afternoon tea to cheese boxes, immersive exhibitions and even a pub in a box…
Lead image: The London Classic Car Show
1 Father’s Day Whiskey, Beer or Burger Experience at The Rubens Hotel, Westminster
For one weekend only, you and your dad can enjoy a Whisky Experience, for 20% off the usual price of £49pp, making it £41.25pp. A resident expert will guide you through three tasting journeys from full, fruity single malts, to deep peat flavours, with each whisky voyage accompanied by a platter of cheese and chocolate truffles. If your pop is more of a beer man, try the Beer Flight experience at £45 for two guests, including a sharing stand for two. Alternatively, take the focus off the booze with a Father’s Day Wagyu Burger Experience, which includes a Wagyu burger with French fries and a beer for £26.75pp.
39 Buckingham Palace Road, Westminster SW1W 0PS; rubenshotel.com
2 Father’s Day Gentleman’s Tea at Egerton House Hotel, Knightsbridge
To mark Father’s Day 2021, The Egerton House Hotel team is offering a Gentleman’s Afternoon Tea featuring hearty savouries like a Scotch egg, a mini beef burger, sausage roll with homemade piccalilli and Welsh rarebit, as well as a Cheddar scone and Stilton scone served with Cornish butter together and a selection of locally sourced cheese. Accompany this with your beer of choice – choose from a Meantime Pale Ale, Meantime Lager, Toast American Pale Ale or a Toast Session Lager. Available 17-20 June priced £60pp.
17-19 Egerton Terrace, Knightsbridge SW3 2BX; egertonhousehotel.com
3 The Daddy of All Roasts at Rockwell, St James’s
For a traditional Sunday Roast this Father’s Day, Rockwell Restaurant at the Trafalgar St. James Hotel is offering the Daddy of All Roasts on Sunday 20 June. Perfect for four or more, the feast includes a whole cornfed chicken, southern gold pork belly and Welsh rib-eye on the bone – all carved to share – plus all the trimmings, like crispy goose fat roasted potatoes, Yorkshire puddings, bone marrow, roasted heritage carrots, asparagus and charred Tenderstem broccoli. It’s all paired with a bold glass of Argentinian Malbec each. Available on 20 June, 12pm-4pm at £35pp.
2 Spring Gardens Trafalgar Square SW1A 2TS; trafalgarstjames.com
4 Savoury Afternoon Tea at The Athenaeum Hotel, Mayfair
For dads who prefer the savouries to the sweets, The Athenaeum Hotel & Residences in Mayfair is offering up a savoury afternoon tea served with a glass of Chalkdown cider. The gents’ tea includes homemade sandwiches, Lincolnshire Poacher Cheddar scones and a selection of savoury pastries and cakes including pork and apple sausage roll, Welsh rarebit English muffin and quail egg and mushroom tartlet. Priced £45pp and served Mon-Sat 12.30pm-4.30pm and Sun 12.30-5.30pm. You can also buy the treat as a gift voucher for dad to redeem whenever he fancies.
116 Piccadilly, Mayfair W1J 7BJ; athenaeumhotel.com
5 Monkey 47 x Henry Poole & Co Tailoring & Gin Experience
Monkey 47 gin has partnered with Savile Row tailors Henry Poole & Co. for a special Father’s Day weekend in-store experience. Guests can book a bespoke tailoring consultation with Henry Poole & Co.’s head tailor accompanied by Monkey 47 Schwarzwald Dry Gin cocktails. You can also explore the tailor’s archive room and cutting studios, which has dressed the likes of Charles Dickens and Winston Churchill, David Gandy. Monkey 47 and Henry Poole & Co. have also joined forces to create a bespoke celebratory silk handkerchief featuring the brand’s wunderbar jungle-themed print, which will be gifted alongside a Monkey 47 Gin treat at the end of the experience. By appointment only on 19 and 20 June.
henrypoole.com
6 Selfridges’ Experience Concierge
If you’re looking for a special Father’s Day treat but don’t know where to start, head for Selfridges’ new gifting service, The Experience Concierge. The gifting services offers 14 unforgettable experiences across its London store, from a hot shave at the Acqua Di Parma Barbiere before a wine tasting and tapas board at Harry Gordon’s Bar (£120) to a one-to-one skateboarding lessons and a trainer refresh from the experts at Sneakers ER (£120) and an exclusive tour of the Foodhall before putting together a bespoke hamper worth up to £175. The team will contact the gift recipient directly to organise a date and time that suits them.
selfridges.com
7 How To Cook The Perfect Steak with Leiths
Leiths Cookery School is offering a number of one-day food experiences to treat dad this Father’s Day. Led by the teachers who teach the culinary stars of today and tomorrow on the Leiths pro courses, you can choose from cookery courses focusing on curry, steak, wine pairing, pizza and butchery. The How To Cook The Perfect Steak course will guide a meat-lover through selecting the best cuts of meat, knife skills, cookery demonstrations and making classic sauce accompaniments, running Saturday 21 August (10am-2.30pm, £165), while How To Cook Curries runs on 14 August (10am-2.30pm, £165) and Canapes & Wine Pairings runs on Saturday 3 July (10am-4pm, £100).
leiths.com
8 White Water Rafting or VeloPark Experiences at Lee Valley Regional Park
Switch aftershave for adventure at Lee Valley Regional Park this Father’s Day – even if you’ve left it all a little last minute! A range of exhilarating experience vouchers are available, from rafting the rapids at Lee Valley White Water Centre in Waltham Cross to cycling the velodrome track at Lee Valley VeloPark in Stratford. The White Water Gift Voucher offers dad the chance to tackle the drops, twists and turns of the exhilarating 300m-long Olympic course. Alternatively, throw him in at the deep end with a Hydrospeeding session where he will navigate the fast flowing rapids while holding onto a hydrospeeding float (£50). You can also opt for a The VeloPark Experience Gift Voucher (£40) or a BMX, Road or MTB Gift Voucher (£15).
visitleevalley.org.uk
9 The London Classic Car Show, Syon Park
Can’t quite manage Father’s Day weekend? How about The London Classic Car Show, taking place the following weekend? Running from 25-27 June in the stunning grounds of Syon Park, this is a great day out for dads and a must-attend event for any classic car enthusiast. This year, the event celebrates The Evolution of Design, taking classic car lovers on a magical journey through the last 135 years of automotive innovation, from the very first Motor Wagen right up to the latest classics. The show will also showcase some of the motoring industry’s most iconic marques, including the 60th Anniversary of the Jaguar E-type, the centenary year of the Bugatti Brescia and the 100th Birthday of the Lancia Lambda. Tickets from £25.
Syon Park, Brentford, Middlesex TW8 8JF; theclassiccarshowuk.com
10 Doctor Who: Time Fracture at Immersive LDN, Mayfair
If your dad grew up with the Doctor, then indulge his nostalgia with the immersive Doctor Who: Time Fracture experience. Taking place at Immersive LDN in Mayfair, a huge historic building with three floors of immersive theatre and event spaces designated for performance, live gaming, events, escape rooms and private parties, the ground-breaking theatrical adventure will plunge you into the incredible Universe of Doctor Who. It’s 1940, the height of the Blitz, and a weapon of unknown origin not only destroys a corner of Mayfair, it also opens a rift in the space-time continuum. Earth as we know it is a stake and it’s time for you to be the hero! Running until 17 April 2022. Tickets £49.95.
56 Davies Street, Mayfair W1K 5HR; immersivedoctorwho.com
Lee Valley White Water Centre (photo: Mark Sims for Vibrant Partnerships)
Meet the UK’s top dealers, exhibitors and car clubs and enjoy stunning displays of classic cars (photo courtesy The London Classic Car Show)
11 Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience, the City
Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds: The Immersive Experience is an absolutely phenomenal show, guaranteed to impress dad and the whole family. Prolific composer Jeff Wayne has partnered with cutting-edge ‘layered reality’ company dotdotdot to re-imagine his Musical Work into a multi-sensory experience of immersive theatre, virtual reality, augmented reality holograms and more, thrusting you right into the centre of the of HG Wells’ Victorian England and the Martian invasion of 1898. You’ll feel the chill of the story’s famous Horsell Common and physically feel the ground shake as the first cylinder lands. Running until 29 Jan 2022. Tickets from £40.
56 Leadenhall Street EC3A 2BJ; dotdot.london/TWOTW
12 Sneakers Unboxed: Studio to Street at the Design Museum, Kensington
The humble sneaker – or ‘trainer’, if you prefer – is the subject of the blockbuster exhibition at the Design Museum. Ideal for dads with a collection of box-fresh footwear, the exhibition examines how shoes like the Converse All Star Chuck Taylor, the Puma Disc, and Nike Alpha fly Next% became cultural symbols. Take a journey through the design process behind some of the most technically inventive shoes of today, see the adidas ‘FutureCraft.Strung’ shoe-making robot, learn about Satoshi, a brand using blockchain certification, see the world’s first biologically active shoes, developed for Puma, and relive legendary collaborations from the Air Jordan to Yeezy x adidas. Running until 24 October. Tickets £12.
224-238 Kensington High Street W8 6AG; designmuseum.org
13 Van Gogh Alive, Kensington Gardens
If your dad knows his Starry Night from his Sunflowers, take him to see Van Gogh Alive, the blockbuster multi-sensory experience that has visited 65 cities around the world. The exhibition completely immerses you in the life and work of Vincent van Gogh, with more than 3,000 images showcased in a kaleidoscope of colour, accompanied by an evocative classical score and aromas of Provence. There’s also an interpretive area where you can learn more about Van Gogh’s life and works, as well as interactive art stations, set within walk-in representations of the artist’s Bedroom in Arles painting, and a Sunflower selfie room. Running until 26 September. Tickets priced from £24 for adults and £14 for children.
vangoghaliveuk.com
14 Signature Brew Pub in A Box
SIBA Brewery Business of the Year, Signature Brew, is re-launching its award-winning Pub in a Box – initially launched to keep us all sane through lockdown) – with an all-new look. The £30 box contains a selection of Signature Brew’s finest craft beers, with glassware, snacks, the world’s greatest music quiz and exclusive playlists curated by music journalists. It’s a great one for dads who are not too sure about returning to the pub just yet, or those who just like being at home. Available throughout the UK and delivered in one-to-two days.
signaturebrew.co.uk
15 Harrods’s Father’s Day Whisky Hamper
Harrods, which has been retailing since 1849, knows hampers, so why not pick up the a Father’s Day Whisky Hamper, which costs £75 and features whisky truffles and Benromach 10-Year-Old Single Malt presented in a signature gift box? Another option is the Cartwright & Butler Father’s Day Gift Hamper, a wicker basket full of traditional British favourites including English breakfast tea, salted caramel fudge and crunchy shortbread, priced £50.
harrods.com
Sneakers Unboxed opens at The Design Museum (photo: A COLD WALL x Converse Chuck Taylor Lugged, courtesy of The Design Museum )
Van Gogh Alive (photo: Rebecca McMillan)
16 Fortnum & Mason’s True Gentleman’s Hamper
Given Fortnum’s is nicknamed ‘the Queen’s grocer’ because of its direct links with Buckingham Palace, you know you’re getting the good stuff from these hamper pros. A range of Father’s Day hampers are available, like the £65 Dad’s Delights Gift Box, which is full of all things coffee – Fortnum’s Connoisseur Blend Coffee, Sandringham Coffee Truffles and Salted Hazelnut Shortbread Rounds, plus a fine coffee mug. There’s also the £125 True Gentleman’s Hamper – full of comforting brews, nibbles and tipples – or the £150 Father’s Day Favourites Hamper, with cheese, ale, whiskey truffles, tea, biscuits and more.
fortnumandmason.com
17 Fenwick’s Father’s Day Gift Box
Fenwick, famed for its brilliantly British style and spirit since 1882, has taken the guesswork out of Father’s Day gifting with its Father’s Day Gift Box. Priced £55, the box actually contains products worth £90 to keep your dad looking and feeling his very best, including ClarinsMen Energizing Gel, Escentric Molecules Escentric 05 Body Wash, Falke Family Herren Sock, Montblanc Explorer Eau de Parfum and a Single Malt from the English Whisky Company.
fenwick.co.uk
18 Harvey Nichols’s The Daddy Hamper
From the finest hampers and gift boxes, including Harvey Nichols The Daddy Hamper – Packed with perfect pairings – a beefy red and chocolate treats, session beers and salty snacks, plus a powerful brew that’ll put hairs on your chest and lots of very grown-up condiments – and Harvey Nichols The Essential Men’s Edit, to new season menswear must-haves, such as Carhartt WIP Wesley Army Green Cotton Jacket and Emporio Armani Black cotton-blend socks – whether it’s for your dad, best friend or husband, treat them to something you know they’ll love this Father’s Day.
harveynichols.com
19 Lola’s Cupcakes Father’s Day Deluxe Hamper
For a dad with a sweet tooth, the Father’s Day Deluxe Hamper from Lola’s Cupcakes could be just the thing. As well as Belgian chocolate brownies, chocolate muffins and a lemon loaf, the hamper is filled with a loaf of fresh sourdough bread, red onion chutney, grapes and Black Bomber cheese, plus two cans of beer from the award-winning Big Drop Brewing Company. A card is also included and can be personalised. Priced £64.99 and available for delivery across London. A number of cakes, cupcakes, brownies and even a cake-making kit are also available.
lolascupcakes.co.uk
20 Crosstown’s Luxury Father’s Day Gift Box
Crosstown, which makes some of London’s best doughnuts, has launched a number of Father’s Day gift boxes featuring sweet treats and premium skincare products. The Luxury Father’s Day gift box contains a selection of award-winning doughnuts or cookies, plus a James and Jake Body Double skincare set, and the option to add six craft beers, a bottle of St. JOHN Wine, Crosstown x Caravan Coffee Roasters ground coffee, and/or a pair of socks (from £54.95). Available for delivery and collection between 14-20 June.
crosstown.co.uk
21 The Cheese Geek Cheese Boxes
Modern cheesemonger The Cheese Geek has curated a new line-up of cheese boxes for Father’s Day 2021. The very finest British cheeses – and some European heavy weights – have been expertly partnered with British wine, beer and gin. Check out The Freddie box, featuring three outstanding artisan British cheeses – a hard, a soft and a blue – paired with some craft beers, a pale ale, an IPA and a porter, from the legends at Northern Monk. You can even add in a pair of socks from Swole Panda. Priced £45 (plus £8 for the socks). Next day delivery is available. You can even go for a subscription box service for three, six, nine or 12 months.
thecheesegeek.com