Father’s Day – The Review Studio

James Gin

alcoholic drinks, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Drinks and Mixers, Father's Day, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

If you’re stuck for ideas on what to get Dad this Father’s Day, I’ve got a cracking suggestion for you – how about a bottle of gin made by none other than James May? Yes, really! The much-loved star of Top Gear and The Grand Tour has swapped fast cars for slow distilling, teaming up with gin expert Hugh Anderson from Downton Distillery to create something truly unique: a gin made with parsnips. I know what you’re thinking – parsnips and gin? But stay with me!

Originally, James just wanted to make a small batch of gin to serve in his pub, The Royal Oak in Wiltshire. But thanks to Hugh’s encouragement, they decided to produce 1,400 bottles for the public. Well, they sold out faster than you can say “reasonably priced car”! Now, you can pick up a bottle of James Gin Asian Parsnip in Waitrose, which is perfect timing for Father’s Day.

So how did this unusual idea come about? James wanted to create a gin that was unmistakably British, something that reminded him of good old Blighty. Parsnips, with their earthy, slightly sweet flavour, felt just right. But to add a bit of excitement, he decided to bring in the warm, aromatic spices you’d find in Indian cuisine. And just like that, the idea of Asian Parsnip gin was born, celebrating the comforting flavours of home with a little exotic twist.

The gin itself is packed with 12 botanicals, including parsnip, ginger, caraway seed, cubeb pepper, fenugreek, cardamom, grains of paradise, liquorice root, sweet orange, juniper, angelica root, and coriander seed. The base spirit is a smooth grain, giving it a lovely, clean finish.

Now, onto the important part, the taste. I always like to keep it simple when trying a new gin, so I had it with a splash of plain tonic. And do you know what? It’s absolutely lovely. Slightly sweet, with a gentle warmth from the spices, and yes, there’s a hint of parsnip, but it all comes together beautifully. It’s just a little bit different, in the best possible way.

So if Dad’s a gin lover and you’re after a gift that’s out of the ordinary this Father’s Day, James Gin Asian Parsnip might just be the perfect pick.

RRP £36, available at Waitrose.

Leonor Greyl Haircare Products

beauty, Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for Him, Stocking Fillers, Valentine's Day Gifts, Vegan

Disclaimer: We received these products free of charge for the purpose of this review and all thoughts and opinions are our own.

With Father’s Day fast approaching, we will be sharing some great gift ideas with you to help you find the perfect gift for your Dad or Father figure. French haircare brand Leonor Greyl have a great selection of haircare products and the special men in your life won’t have a hair out of place once they’ve used them!

The Gentle Volumizing Shampoo is made with 96% natural ingredients and as the name suggests will improve volume – great for those Dad’s whose hair is starting to thin. The gentle action of real lavender honey combined with rose extracts mean it is gentle enough to be used daily and it leaves hair soft and shiny. The shampoo lathers easily, creating a creamy foam which removes dirt and grime from hair, leaving it feeling lovely and clean.

RRP £24.60

The Lait Lavant A La Banane shampoois made with 97% natural ingredients and is very gentle on hair. The shampoo lathers well and the vegetal proteins and banana sap extract help improve softness and shine on fine and oily hair. This shampoo smells lovely and as it removes odour and perspiration is great for sporty Dads.

RRP £26.95

Made with 90% natural ingredients the Alcohol-free styling gel is just what Dad needs for styling his hair. The alcohol free formula with hibiscus extracts is suitable for all hair types and provides support at the roots of thin and limp hair. Use it to create an all-over slicked-back look, or simply for controlling stray hairs or a pesky cowlick. It won’t dry out the hair, and with a firm hold that doesn’t flake, it’ll keep Dad’s hair looking fab all day.

RRP £ 18

The Baume Bois de Rose is a matte finish modelling and sculpting balm which is made with 93% natural ingredients. The styling balm can be applied to either dry or damp hair and the non greasy formula also hydrates and protects hair. It’s great for smoothing fly away hair and a little goes a long way. It holds hair in place all day without leaving it feeling sticky and it smells amazing – I will definitely be borrowing this one – don’t tell Dad!!

RRP £45.07

Prezzee Gift Card

Birthday Gifts, Christmas, Father's Day, Gifts for children, Gifts for Her, Gifts for Him, Gifts for teachers, Mother's Day, Valentine's Day Gifts

Sometimes it can be hard to decide on a Father’s Day gift, do you get them a voucher and if so where for? Prezzee digital gift cards are a great idea as the recipient has the choice of over 190 retail outlets so there is bound to be one they will love.

The gift card comes via email and when you click the button to open your gift it takes you to the Prezzee website where a parcel opens revealing your gift. To redeem you simply enter the pin number from the email and you can then swap your Prezzee gift card one from the many retailers on the Prezzee website. There are so many different brands to choose from including high street stores, sports brands, restaurants, supermarkets, garden centre vouchers, theatre tokens and hotels so there is bound to be something they will love. The Prezzee card is available from as little as £5 and up to £500 so you can treat your Dad, no matter what your budget.

After swapping your gift card you instantly receive an email with your electronic gift card which can be saved in an electronic wallet to spend at a later date. I chose a National Gardens digital gift card for my Father in Law, which arrived in less than a minute, so I was really impressed with the speed of delivery.

I was really impressed with the whole process and will certainly be buying more Prezee cards as gifts as it means I no longer need to spend ages deciding what to buy and the recipient will enjoy choosing something special to treat themselves to!

Lola’s Cupcakes Father’s Day Cupcakes

eco friendly, Family Life, Father's Day, Food & Drink, Gifts for Him

Disclaimer: We received this product free of charge for the purpose of this review but all thoughts and opinions are our own.

What Dad wouldn’t be happy with cake on Father’s Day – especially when they look as cool as these Father’s Day Cupcakes from Lola’s Cupcakes. Available in boxes of 12 or 24, each box contains a colourful mix of vanilla and chocolate cupcakes all decorated with stars, mini pearls and sprinkles and the vanilla cakes also have a snazzy ‘Dad’, ‘Super’ or ‘Hero’ decoration too.

Sometimes impressive looking cakes can be a little disappointing when you bite into them but not Lola’s Cupcakes – they are full of flavour and incredibly moreish – especially the chocolate ones! The sponge cakes have a lovely thick layer of vanilla or chocolate buttercream and when you bite into them you discover a light and fluffy sponge that is nice and moist. The brightly coloured cakes are incredibly eye catching and I guarantee they won’t last long on Father’s Day!!!

The cakes can be collected from one of Lola’s Cupcakes London stores or make it easy for yourself by having them delivered, either to your door or even your Dad’s, with Lola’s nationwide delivery service. The cakes are available to preorder from 29^th May and will be in stores and ready for delivery from 12^th June.

As we don’t live in London, we were able to test the delivery service and I was really impressed with both the service and packaging. The cakes were in a cardboard presentation box with each cake having a cardboard sleeve and lid to protect it in transit. The cakes were incredibly well packaged in a solid cardboard box with a cool block and thermal liner to ensure the cakes arrived in perfect condition. Once opened the cakes should be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container and they are best eaten within 48 hours. They didn’t last that long in our house, but it is good to know that they can be kept in the fridge for another 2 days.

I was also very pleased to discover that the thermal liner and ice pack can be returned to Lola’s Cupcakes using the prepaid label. They then clean them before reusing, what a great idea and much better for the environment too.

Lola’s Cupcakes make all their cakes fresh by hand each day from scratch, using only high quality ingredients so if you want to treat your Dad I would take a look now! As well as the cupcakes they also have Father’s Day brownies as well as larger cakes to choose from and there is also a vegan and gluten free option so no one needs to miss out on these delicious treats.

I would most definitely recommend Lola’s Cupcakes as a Father’s Day gift, especially if your Dad lives further away and you can’t deliver his gift in person this year.

To order the Father’s Day cupcakes (or any other kind cakes) head on over to their website here

RRP from £22 available until the 16^th June