An Essential Father's Day Gift Guide

Father's Day is just around the corner, and if your dad is a culinary enthusiast, we've made a list of our favourite gifts to show your appreciation for their creativity in the kitchen! From unique ingredients to high-quality kitchenware, these are thoughtful and inspirational gifts that any foodie dad would love:

L'Iroquois Corkscrew Beech Wood
For the wine-loving dad, this corkscrew is both functional and aesthetic. A beautifully crafted tool designed to effortlessly open wine bottles with precision. Featuring a brushed stainless steel dual-lever that requires no manual hinge-shifting, and retractable serrated blade for cutting through foil. Its beech wood handle adds an elegant touch to wine evenings.

2023 Season First Pressing Extra Virgin Olive Oil
High-quality olive oil is a kitchen staple that any foodie dad will appreciate. This 2023 first pressing has a bright and fresh vegetal aroma, with a hint of bitter almond and artichoke, and a complex, low acid flavour that begins fruity and finishes peppery. Drizzle over roasted vegetables and barbecued prawns, simple pasta dishes, bruschetta or a plate of ricotta with nduja and roasted fennel.

Terra del Tuono Craft Beer Vinegar
A creative ingredient that will inspire your dad to experiment with something quite unique! Made in Italy, Terra Del Tuono have carefully brewed a range of unfiltered, unpasteurised beers for maximum flavour and character, before slowly ageing them into vinegars. The results are richly flavourful and aromatic.
The Strong Ale vinegar is perfect for not only fish and chips, but also for splashing over ripe tomatoes. The IPA vinegar's subtle floral-fruit notes make it a great flavourful addition to vinaigrettes and dressings for grilled vegetables and fish, or used as a mignonette for topping oysters, while the amber-coloured Abbey vinegar is ideal for glazes and marinades, and used to deglaze a pan after cooking a steak.

Saucy Wench Chilli Jam
Spice up your dad's meals with this tantalizing Asian-style chilli jam. Sweetened with dates and oranges, packed full of chilli and aromatically enhanced with coriander, this chilli jam goes with anything. Add to a cheese board, slather onto a bacon and egg roll, mix with sour cream to dip potato wedges, marinade pork chops or brush onto roasted drumsticks. Gluten-free and vegan friendly.

Steelpan Stainless Steel Roasting Pan with Handles
A high-quality roasting pan is a must-have for anyone that loves to cook. Your dad will appreciate this pan's versatility and durability for preparing mouth-watering roasts and delectable baked goods alike. The textured interior of this matte-finish stainless steel roasting pan provides an effective low-stick surface without introducing harmful treatments or chemicals. It also makes a great companion for transferring food to and from the barbecue! 

The Essential Ingredient Berbere Spice Mix
Dried spices are a part of any home cook's ingredient arsenal, but a spice blend can do a lot of heavy lifting flavour-wise with minimal effort required. This berbere spice mix is a great introduction to Ethiopian flavours. It can be used as a rub on fish, lamb and chicken or to add flavour to stews, chickpea and vegetable dishes. Great for spicy lamb meatballs too. Add to soups and dips before serving.

The Essential Ingredient French Salt and Spiced Pepper Rub
This rub is perfect for the grill master dad. Grey sea salt from the French Ile de Ré is blended with whole black, white, green & pink peppercorns, paprika, rosemary, coriander seeds and thyme. Rub onto barbecue cuts of meat and vegetables before grilling. Mix with butter and slather over corn or use to season casseroles and sauces.

Jimoto Shiso Teriyaki Sauce Marinade
For the dad that loves Japanese flavours and wants to create authentic tasting dishes at home. It's a versatile condiment that opens doors to a world of Japanese-inspired cooking. A versatile, sweet, and floral sauce, lighter than a traditional teriyaki, made with fragrant Australian grown shiso (perilla leaf) and ginger, Japanese mirin, sake and tamari.  Vegan, gluten and preservative free.

Honey Eater Christmas Bush Honey
A sweet gift that lets Dad savour the finer things in life. A unique honey, produced from the nectar of the Christmas Bush, harvested without heat treatment or filtering, it retains its nutritional benefits and natural flavour. It's thick and creamy, tastes like caramel fudge and can be enjoyed straight from the jar by the spoonful.

Mr. Pye's Black Garlic Paste
Black garlic is a distinctive ingredient that adventurous foodies adore. Its complex flavour profile and umami-richness is a chef's dream and, in the form of a paste, it couldn't be easier to incorporate into any savoury dish that could use a little something extra.

The Essential Ingredient Gift Cards
You know Dad loves eating and cooking food, but don't know exactly what amazing new ingredient, specialised piece of professional-grade cookware, or life-changing kitchen gadget they would like?
A gift card from The Essential Ingredient is the answer; think of it as giving the gift of inspiration! Valid for three years from the date of purchase, it's redeemable on anything available in any of our stores or online, including food, cookware, tableware and even cooking classes.
Physical gift cards can be purchased in-store, but if you can't get to a store or need a gift quickly, we also have online gift vouchers. These are emailed directly to the recipient as soon as you purchase it, and can be used the same way as a physical card.

Find your nearest The Essential Ingredient store, or buy online for delivery to anywhere in Australia.