The answers are wide ranging, from a can of coke and a chicken and mushroom slice (see food philistines) to eggs Benedict and freshly squeezed oranges from Madrid!

The truth is everyone has their own special concoction to make themselves feel a little bit more human the morning after the night before, each person claiming their’s is the best by far and never fails.

There is no secret to the perfect hangover cure; all you need to do is plan for it. Lets face it the last thing you want to be doing when you have a jack hammer in your head and your stomach is doing back flips is peeling ,chopping and stirring.

With that in mind, here is my recipe for black pudding champ cakes; these can be prepared the day before and kept in the fridge until you wake from your drink induced slumber. You can have these on their own as a light brunch or, as I prefer, the main part of a blow out breakfast, see below for other ingredients.

Black pudding champ cakes

Serves 4

You will need:-

1kg of potatoes (an all rounder like King Edward, Maris Piper or Desiree)

One black pudding (abut the size of a large sausage)

Small bunch spring onions

100ml Veg or chicken stock (1 good quality cube or stock powder will do if you do not have fresh stock)

Splash of Olive oil

1) Peel and cut the potatoes into equal size pieces, add to a pan with the stock, cover with water and bring to the boil

2) When the potatoes are soft but still hold their original shape, drain the water and return to the pan, no need to put back on the heat. Add a knob of butter and leave with the lid on for 5 minutes; this will keep the potatoes cooking in their own steam so they don’t become too watery.

3) Mash the potatoes well (remember this is comfort food so the creamier the mash the quicker the back flips disappear) season to taste and set aside

4) Cut the black pudding length ways and then length ways again (so you have four equal long pieces), cut into bites size chunks, set aside

5) slice the spring onions, about half cm thickness, set aside

6) Heat up a frying pan on a medium to high heat and add the olive oil, let it heat up before you add the black pudding. Make sure the pudding is cooked evenly on all sides (this will help keep its shape when you mix it with the mash) add the spring onions and cook for 1-2 minutes.

7) Add the black pudding and spring onions to the mash and gently fold in, season to taste. The mixture should be smooth but not too sticky, if it is add a little plain flour.

8) Separate into 4 equal quantities, with your hands shape into patties about an inch and half in height.

9) Place on a plate, cover with cling film and put in the fridge.

The best black pudding is from your local butcher, if you are really lucky he will make his own. The pudding should be sausage shape and can either be straight, u-shaped or curled. When you cut into it there should be a small amount of fat and an ample amount of cereal /oats visible and the texture should be that of a firm smooth pate. Avoid at all costs the big black discs you get in the super market, this gives one of Britain’s best food products a bad name!

Next morning, take the cakes out of the fridge and leave for about 45 minutes

10) With throbbing head in tow, heat a frying pan medium/high heat and fry off until golden brown on both sides 4-5 mins each side be careful to keep their shape when you turn them over.

If you really cant face frying them you can put them on a greased baking tray and pop them in the oven for 30 mins on gas mark 6 / 200 degrees c

To go with the champ cakes

A traditional banger is a must as with the black pudding, quality is key. There is such a wide variety of sausages out there these days thanks to bespoke producers who concentrate on the quality of the product from breeding through to making. Again your butcher is a good starting place and don’t be afraid to ask his/her opinion, butchers are butchers because they are passionate about what the do, and they will always share tips and recipes with you! Also, get down to your local farmers market and see what’s on offer. There are always small producers willing to show off their own special products, not only will you get a great product but you will also be supporting your local food producers.

For the sausage itself, a good sausage will look plump, this indicates that it is fresh, if it looks shrivelled and or dry don’t buy it! It should have a marbled look; this shows that it has the right quantities of meat, fat, cereals and spices. Sausages also have “fillers”, this can vary depending again on the quality of the sausage but you should be looking for oats, cereals or breadcrumbs. Low quality sausages will look very pink, have a solid looking colour (no marbling) and have a very smooth looking texture this shows that it is a low meat to fat / filler ratio and is mass produced.

As for cooking, there is only one way to cook a real banger and it does not involve grilling or pricking! Heat a frying pan on a very low heat with no oil, add the sausages and do not prick, you want the juices of the sausage to stay in the sausages and not leak out into the pan, this will keep them nice and moist. Turn the sausages every 5 minutes until brown on all sides. Cooking with no oil will give the sausages a lovely caramelised flavour.

The finishing touches

Baked beans are another good ole favourite; instead of going for the usual brands try an organic range. Waitrose organic baked beans are an excellent choice they have a slightly smokey flavour that goes really well with the champ cakes!

Mushrooms in my book are a must; I prefer simple closed cup mushrooms for this dish. They are a sturdy, firm fleshed mushroom that goes well with the other ingredients. I would not recommend using a more exotic mushroom i.e. shitake as the delicate flavours will get lost. I pop out the stalk and place open side down in a heated frying pan with a knob of butter cook for 5 minutes each side on a high heat.

Tomatoes, please no tinned plum tomatoes, we are not at the truckers cafe! On the vine tomatoes are best, cut in half, sprinkle with rock salt, cracked black pepper and a dash of balsamic and place under the grill until the top starts to blister.

Don’t forget the big thick slab of fresh white bread and the sauces! If you get to the farmers market, 9 times out of 10, next to the butcher there is a guy selling tomato sauce and brown sauce, what a coincidence!

There really should be some chefy comment now that says “now build the dish” but this is all about feeling better in record time so………….get the biggest plate you have, whack all the bits on it and get to the couch asp.

Last and by no means least you need a BIG mug of tea or coffee - has to be a mug no china for this dish!

Combine the above with my extra comfy sofa and any film starring John Wayne and you have my perfect hangover cure!

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