Gifts for Dad: 8 ideas he’ll actually use
Updated 25 October 2026
Dad is easy to buy for, in the sense that he'll say thanks for anything and then put it in the loft. These eight are the opposite: things to eat, read, feed to the birds or do on a tray in front of the telly. All from UK shops, all checked on 24 October 2026.
The Pong Cheese Explorer Box
Four cheeses, about 565g in all, from a Westcombe Cheddar to a blue called Blue Monday. You pick the delivery date, so it arrives when there's room in the fridge.
Photo: www.theedinburghblog.co.uk, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/15441925@N00/5563953216
My Dogs and Me by Matt Baker (hardback)
Matt Baker on training sheepdogs as a boy in the Durham Dales and every dog he's shared his home with since, with his own sketches. It came out on 22 October, so Dad won't have read it yet.
Photo: Joanna Bourne, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/66992990@N00/6039507883
Tracklements Apple & Cider Brandy Chutney, 270g
Kentish Bramleys and Somerset cider brandy, made for cold roast pork and the Boxing Day cheese board. The shop has a £15 minimum order, so buy a few jars and keep one back for yourself.
Photo: James P. Mann, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/22979102@N04/8454826395
RSPB Suet gift box
Fat balls, suet pellets, coconut halves and suet cakes, and none of it needs a special feeder. Made for the dad who stands at the kitchen window with his tea counting blue tits.
Photo: wwarby, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/26782864@N00/2314288104
Shed Sanctuary wooden jigsaw
A potting shed full of flowers and nosy cats, cut from wood in Wiltshire with odd little shaped pieces hidden in it. Wentworth have been making puzzles there since 1991.
See it at Wentworth Wooden Puzzles
Photo: Electric-Eye, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/35111587@N00/4054093512
Pet portrait from a phone photo, framed A4 ours
Cat or dog, it's probably the one he talks to most in the house. Send us one phone photo and we'll paint it like an old country-house portrait, with a proof for you to approve before anything is printed.
Scottish Fine Soaps Sea Kelp Hand Cream, 30ml
Made in Scotland, in a 30ml tube that lives happily in a coat pocket. For the dad with gardener's hands who would never in his life buy hand cream.
See it at The English Shaving Company
Photo: sunshinecity, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/11247388@N00/786584004
Shipping Forecast Stoneware Mug
Stoneware, microwave and dishwasher safe, for the dad who knows his Dogger from his German Bight. It comes from the RNLI's own shop.
Photo: lxsocon, CC BY 2.0, https://www.flickr.com/photos/10088577@N00/5312218736
If he still insists he doesn't need anything, the cheese box settles most arguments. Prices can change, so check before you order.
Prices were checked on the date shown and can change. We don’t earn anything from links to other shops; we just like these. Anything marked “ours” is made by us.