Everyone has their own remedy for a hangover: drinking water before bed to prevent the onset, eating a banana to restore potassium levels, making a fry-up to satisfy those salt cravings, or just hobbling as fast as your hungover legs will carry you to the nearest McDonald's.
Often these remedies just don’t cut it and making a coherent choice of what to put into your body, after essentially poisoning it the night before, can be a hard task.
Never fear, nine respected chefs, cooks and food bloggers answer what people should be making for breakfast after the night before. You’re welcome.
Matcha, Maca and protein
Lorraine Pascale, TV chef and former model
“Mix some Matcha Green Tea, add some Maca powder and some protein powder. It really wakes me up and knocks the hangover on the head!”
Green smoothie
Adam Simmonds, Michelin-star chef and executive chef of Pavillion, London
“I would say a green smoothie is always a winner. My green smoothies usually consist of coconut water, spinach, grapes, cucumber, a Granny Smith apple and kiwi.”
Huevos rancheros
Sophie Michell, chef, TV presenter and food writer
“Think fried eggs with onions, chilli, coriander and tomatoes, then add some feta and lime-laced avocado to the plate with the all-important corn tortillas or flatbreads to wrap/mop it up. I also tend to have a deep-green spirulina boosted smoothie (it actually helps) or, if it’s a weekend, a punchy bloody Mary.”
Protein pancakes
Joe Wicks, The Body Coach
“I always tell people, it’s fine to have the occasional blow out as long as you get back on track the next day – so that includes if the blow out was getting a bit boozy and you have a hangover. Training and eating right will clear your head and make you feel better, so I try and do that – so after training I’d reward myself with some tasty protein pancakes that look naughty, but are actually fuelling my body so it can get back on track!”
Sushi
Tom Cenci, executive chef, Duck and Waffle
“I know that sounds strange for a breakfast dish but most of the time if I have been drinking, I’m not up early. The simple umami flavours and the sweetness of the rice really help clean out the toxins.
"If it’s really bad, you can always go for something with a bit more of a kick, like firecracker rice or spicy karaage chicken to cure those hangover blues.”
Full English
Ben Ebbrell, chef, SORTEDfood YouTube channel
"You’ve really got two options when it comes to hangover breakfast food – you’re either in a mood where you just want to eat EVERYTHING, or you go down the I’m-going-to-counter-this-by-being-really-healthy route.
"If it’s the first, well, nothing beats a full English fry-up – beans, toast, sausages, egg, the lot.
"If it’s the second, I’d suggest our Banana 'Soothie' recipe, which is a quick pick-me-up recipe. It has milk that helps with nausea, dark chocolate which is an anti-depressant to counter the alcohol/beer fear, and the natural goodness of a banana. Peel and break the banana into quarters, blend it with a handful of pecans and tablespoon of honey, blitz until smooth and add in a small cup of milk little by little until you’re happy with the consistency, then blitz again. Enjoy!”
Quick rice
Harneet Baweja, founder of Gunpowder restaurant, London
“My go-to hangover cure starts with leftover rice, mixing in onion, tomato, ginger and garlic and frying with an egg plus any odds and ends you have in the fridge. It's a quick-and-easy version of a masala fried rice; the rice soaks up the alcohol, with chilli and turmeric mixed in for some great health benefits.”
Eggs and spinach
Anna Hansen MBE, The Modern Pantry, London
"I turn to poached eggs with zingy yuzu hollandaise and some simply cooked spinach, plus some toast with lashings of butter. As you can tell from this, it’s fat I crave – and someone once told me that the body needs fat to expel toxins, so who am I to argue!
"For the yuzu hollandaise, melt 250g unsalted butter in a pan. Separately, whisk together three egg yolks, one whole egg, 60ml yuzu juice and a squeeze of lemon juice, then place it in a bowl over gently simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl. Whisk until it begins to thicken, remove from heat and still whisking, pour in the warm, melted butter a little at a time. Season to taste.”
Fancy porridge
Ben Tish, chief director of Salt Yard Group
“When I worked in the West Highlands a few years ago, in a hotel, there were a lot of hangovers at breakfast. The order of the day was a bowl of creamy porridge with a brown sugar brûlée top and a large shot of whiskey poured over. Quite the hair of the dog!
"After that, you’d have a full Scottish breakfast with black and white pudding and a tattie scone!” – The Independent