HEAL ANY HANGOVER
These antidotes to seasonal excess will not only clear your head and settle your stomach, but also reboot your resolve to make the coming year your healthiest yet. Devil, be gone!
MILES KIRBY
Caravan’s executive chef has given your morningafter saviours a healthful reworking. Take the pain out of party season
YOUR REPAIR KIT
Stop. Please. Put down last night’s Styrofoam box of shame. To undo the damage of the previous evening’s excesses you need to look to your kitchen, not Just Eat. “Cupboards filled with the right ingredients can rectify any hangover emergency as well as prime you for an update of your eating habits,” says Miles Kirby, co- owner of London’s Caravan restaurants. Let’s start with your shopping list. Just keep it down, yeah?
PRESS REFRESH
First, brew a strong mug of Caravan’s Daily Blend (£ 10 caravanrestaurants.co.uk) and pop an aspirin. Plos One research backs this to banish any bastard behind the eyes. Now, while eggs and avo need minimal prep – a steady knife to avoid ‘avocado hand’ will do – the pork and cabbage take time and forethought. For the pork belly, soak it in saltwater in the fridge overnight, then cover with foil and cook in a roasting dish with a cup of water for three hours at 160°C. Remove the foil and blast on high to crisp. For the cabbage, slice and salt for two hours, rinse and massage with either caraway for sauerkraut, or chilli, ginger and garlic for kimchi. Place in a fermentation crock pot (£ 45 souschef.co.uk) and leave for 48 hours. Let’s be honest, you need to get all this done before you go out.
RECIPES WORTH THEIR SALT
For hungover traditionalists, a breakfast of brined pork and cabbage may seem strange, but its benefits are both immediate and longlasting. Salt aids hydration to abate morning misery, while the veg’s probiotics will counteract seasonal hedonism by supporting both metabolism and immunity. And for those who prefer to keep things simple, Kirby also has a smarter take on your staple sandwich. With all this in mind, bookmark his four recipes for a delicious remedy to your next night out.