Father’s Day gift ideas for the foodie dad

Dads are notoriously hard to buy gifts for. Apart from the fact that he insists on telling you that your presence is presents enough, each Father’s Day, sons and daughters across the land still try their best to gift their beloved dads with something special… and usually end up buying another novelty tie or a “World’s Greatest Golfer” coffee mug.

So this Father’s Day, why not up your gifting game? Give Dad something truly delicious to show him how much he means to you. With COVID lockdowns still dragging on in some states, and many of us still staying in, a home-delivered or virtual foodie experience is just what’s needed to make your Dad’s day. Just because we’re all stuck at home, it doesn’t mean that you can’t celebrate Father’s Day with a tasty meal or some fancy edible (or drinkable) produce. If you’re lucky, he might even share it with you.

Co-lab Pantry

Co-lab Pantry is a platform that brings people from all areas of hospitality together in the one space. The site has partnered with restaurants, bars, chefs, local makers, producers and organisations who are using food for good to create a community that can continuously share, create and learn together. Awww.

The newly launched foodie retail hub has pulled together some special Father’s Day offerings. They include gourmet gift and drinks packs that can be ordered online and delivered nationwide. The packs include pantry products, wines and meals from some of Victoria’s favourite restaurants, cafes, wine bars and producers. As well as treating Dad to a special gift, you’ll also be supporting small local businesses and producers during lockdown.

You can choose from one of three Co-lab Pantry Father’s Day gift sets:

The Classic

Gift your stylish dad some Entrecôte’s secret herb butter sauce and The Everleigh’s Old Fashioned Cocktail and Hazelnut Chocolate by Hunted + Gathered.

The Fun

For the trendy dad, snag Drumplings’ Cheeseburger Dumplings, Chotto Motto’s Crispy Chilli Oil and a four-pack of Stomping Ground’s Watermelon Smash.

The Cultured

Go all out with a kit that includes Gewurzhaus’ Melbourne Coffee Meat Rub, Fancy Hank’s Original BBQ Sauce, Piccolina’s Salted Caramel Popcorn, Coffee Beans from Market Lane, Dark Organic Chocolate from Hunted + Gathered, Meatsmith’s Fermented Chilli and Baia Di Vino’s Old Fashioned Cocktail.

You can also create your own Father’s Day gift package. Just browse the site and pick out your pop’s personal favourites.

Order your Co-lab Pantry Father’s Day gift pack at colabpantry.com.au. It’s recommended for all Father’s Day orders to be placed by August 28 to ensure a timely arrival. Gift packs are available for delivery in Victoria, NSW, ACT, South Australia and Queensland.

Fancy Hank’s online workshop

Co-lab Pantry is also offering a special Father’s Day online workshop for Melbourne dads from barbecue kings Fancy Hank’s.

Treat Dad to a one-hour cooking class with Fancy Hank’s very own pitmaster. He’ll teach him how to make some tasty US-inspired barbecue classics. Fancy Hank’s will deliver all of the ingredients to his front door; all he’ll need is a chopping board, mixing bowls, a baking tray and bucket. Oh, and an appetite.

In the workshop, he’ll learn how to make cornbread scones with jalapeno and peach cream cheese and crispy buffalo wings with cayenne and watermelon hot sauce. As a bonus gift, you can pretend to laugh when he makes the requisite Dad joke about flying buffalo. The ticket includes two bottles of hot sauce, two kilos of chicken wings and six large scones.

Tickets are available for the Melbourne metro area only. The class will be held on Sunday, September 19 from 3 to 4pm. The price is $85, and bookings can be made here.

Father’s Day with brisket and carrot beer

Nothing says “we love you, Dad” like brisket and beer. This year, thanks to the Scenic Rim Farm Box’s limited edition Father’s Day box, you can have the best in local brisket, carrot beer and more, delivered straight to the front door for Father’s Day.

The “We Love You Dad Box” takes all the angst and guesswork out of present buying. Plus it supports local farmers and producers from the Scenic Rim. That’s a win-win Dad will be proud of. The box also features the world-famous Carrot Beer from 4Hearts Brewing. This is usually only poured during Eat Local Week.

What else is included? All the ingredients need to create Scenic Rim Food Ambassador Kate Raymont’s super delicious brisket & slaw (including beef brisket from The Butcher Co. and a special dressing from Chef Dan Groneberg at Kooroomba Lavender Farm & Vineyard), plus a 4-pack of the world-famous 4Hearts Brewing/Kalfresh Vegetables Carrot Beer, double smoked bacon and organic eggs (so you can cook Dad brekkie), cheese from Sarabah Estate and decadent caramel slice from Lovetts @ Kalbar.

Orders are open now for deliveries on September 3, 4 and 5. The price is $130. You can find out more about what’s included and order here:

Red Balloon online wining and dining experiences

A wine and dining experience at home will help make staying home a little more enjoyable for your dear old Dad. Red Balloon has a range of at-home cooking kits, online cooking courses, spirit tasting kits, wine blending workshops and at-home dining experiences.

Fancy foodie fathers can take an online live cooking class with Colin Fassnidge, he and Mum can enjoy an at-home wine and food pairing experience for two, or you can gift your old man an Australian gin-tasting set or an Italian cheese-making kit. There’s also a special Father’s Day in a Box for Melbourne dads. Or you can gift the coffee-loving dad with a virtual barista training lesson that comes with home-delivered coffee beans.

You can check out all of Red Balloon’s online wining and dining experiences here.

Sydney Seafood School at home

SSS@Home is a virtual cooking class for Sydneysiders. A new recipe kit is released each Monday, for Friday dispatch. It comes with all the fresh seafood, vegies, herbs and premium pantry items to create a generous meal for two.

To really knock Dad’s socks off, give him a Sydney Seafood School Gift Certificate so he can enjoy delicious meals from SSS@Home via a single kit ($52.50) or a four-week loyalty pack ($210). For an added bonus, each loyalty pack includes a “gift with purchase” gourmet pantry pack valued at over $30. The September menu includes dory with asparagus and grape tomatoes and red blush chats with butter (September 11) and Seafood Bastilla from Kepos St Kitchen’s Michael Rantissi (September 18).

You can order SSS@Home here. Collection is on Fridays from Sydney Fish Market or Harris Farm stores at Drummoyne, Bondi Beach, Potts Point, Lindfield, St Ives, Manly, Newcastle, Bowral and Orange or Sydney Fresh Seafood Wetherill Park. Home delivery is also available (for a fee) to these suburbs.

Melbourne’s Lucy Liu delivers regional for Father’s Day

Like everyone in the hospitality industry, the team at Lucy Liu Kitchen and Bar have been starting, stopping and reinventing themselves all year. They feel lucky to have had such a great response from their Providoor offering, which has allowed the “pan-Asian” eating and drinking space to still service their loyal Melbourne metro customer base.

But there are so many more hungry people outside of Melbourne who are also stuck in lockdown but without access to some of the great delivery options people in the inner-city suburbs have. Because of this, Lucy Liu has decided to load up some vans, bring back a few of their valued staff and spread the love further for this Father’s Day weekend by personally delivering to the whole of the Mornington Peninsula, Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula.

So why not put a smile on Dad’s face and have a bit of fun along the way? You can surprise him by having a member or two of the Lucy Liu team rocking up to his door in uniform, delivering some Lucy Liu classic dishes.

The limited, exclusive Father’s Day boxes include eight dishes, rice and roti to share, as well as two delicious desserts. On top of that, Dad can enjoy four beers plus a bottle of wine.

You can order the box here or by calling 03 9639 5777. The boxes are $175 plus $25 delivery and will feed up to four comfortably or two with generous leftovers. There are only a very limited number of boxes, so make sure you get in quickly before they sell out. Latest order date is September 3 and delivery will be on Saturday, September 5.