It’s Father’s Day on June 19 and if this is proving particularly tricky this year, or if the father in question is particularly well stocked in socks, whisky or the Beatles back catalogue, your friendly team at Boxman have some good, not-actual present ideas for you.

Not a magazine

Readbug is a brilliant idea for anyone, but it’s particularly great for hard-to-buy-for types, which accounts for approximately 78% of the dads we know. For a monthly subscription you get digital access to some pretty amazing magazines, including Dazed, Huck, Frame and Paper. Perfect for anyone who’s sick of the usual publishing fodder.

Not a coffee cup

How about some coffee instead? Coffee subscriptions, like Pact have been going strong for a while, but if you’d prefer to enjoy a cup of Joe in one of London’s many fantastic independent coffee shops, a gift plan via Drip may be just the ticket. It’s essentially a pre-paid coffee card, but allows you to redeem it at one of many self-run places around the Capital (we do love a bit of independence, it must be said). Coffee and an excuse to explore the caffeine scene in one fell swoop? What’s not to love?

Not ‘stuff’

If your dad simply has too little space and way too much stuff, a Boxman box could be just the ticket. As a self-storage company with a difference, those friendly chaps and chapesses will deliver an empty box to your cluttered father, come back to collect it up when he has packed it all up, and then store it for as long as he needs them to. It’s all catalogued digitally, so when he decides he can no longer do without his bits and pieces, he can pick the box he needs and it’ll be returned straight to his door.

Not a camera

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A photo posted by @sidestorytravel on May 11, 2016 at 1:38am PDT

Let’s face it, loads of us have fancy tech kit we just don’t get the most out of, and cameras are key culprits. What could be better, then, than spending a few hours in the company of a well-renowned photographer to give you (we mean, ahem, the dad in question) some tips and hints about how to get the most out of his digital peephole? Antonio Olmos, the chap whose portrait of Malala graces the front cover of her autobiography, is just the man, and will take you on a masterclass in the art of street photography. All of this can be arranged via SideStory, a company offering London experiences that allow you to spend time learning from some of the city’s creative legends – the perfect gift for the dad who thinks he knows everything.

Not booze

The interest in micro-brewing has been, well, brewing for a few years now and there are plenty of top-notch places to hone your beer-making skills in our fair capital. The London Beer Lab in Brixton is one such place, offering workshops and other similar experiences, though it seems you only have to turn a corner these days to find a craft brewer offering similar deep immersion. Take the Gipsy Hill Brewing Company based in the place of the same name, for example, or the Pressure Drop Brewery in Hackney. It’s thirst-quenching work, researching all of London’s offerings, though which dad would turn his nose up at the opportunity?

Not a CD

We don’t know about you, but Spotify and Netflix have pretty much taken away our only trump card for presents of the musical and cinematic variety. So how about some vinyl, instead? Flying Vinyl will send your old man a box of new records out every month, containing an interesting selection of new music from a variety of artists. Some of you may be old enough to remember record clubs, back in the pre-digital days. It’s a bit like that, only with added hipster cool.

Not gadgets

If stuff that requires things like wires and plugs to function is just going to antagonize everyone else in the household, there are places to send the dad in question that are far, far removed from anything needing electricity.

Predictably, there aren’t many bushcraft courses on offer in the capital itself, but head beyond the city limits and he’ll have plenty of choice. Woodland Ways run courses up and down the country covering subjects from foraging to shelter building to outdoor survivial skills. Ideal for the inner boy scout in anyone.

Not a fish

Ok, so we know that it’s probably unlikely you’re going to be giving seafood as a present (or perhaps you are – who’s to say?), but we had to get this in somehow. The trend for food and cooking classes continues unabated and there are loads of fantastic short courses covering all manner of food preparation topics, including several tackling (sorry) that perennially tricky subject of fish. The Seafood School at Billingsgate is one such place and its location – a stone’s throw from the legendary market itself – is suitably fitting. You know what they say: give a dad a fish, and he’ll stink for a day. Teach him how to cook fish, and your kitchen will stink for a lifetime. Happy scaling!

What’ll you be giving your dad for Father’s Day? Let us know via our Twitter or Facebook pages.