If you’ve woken up with a sore head after over-indulging in festive fun, then there is some bad news. A hangover cannot be cured. But the good news is that you can ease the symptoms  -  and what better way than to take the advice of celebrities who attend more than their fair share of parties…

NIGELLA LAWSON, 50, Domestic Goddess

‘What works for me after excessive drinking is what I call a Brian. A mixture of a Berocca (fizzy supplement) and Spatone (iron supplement). if that doesn’t work I add to the mix some Solpadeine.’ 

‘What works for me after excessive drinking is what I call a Brian. A mixture of a Berocca (fizzy supplement) and Spatone (iron supplement),’ said Nigella Lawson

HUW EDWARDS, 49, BBC newsreader

There are two remedies. One is a 40-minute run and the other  -  for the less energetic  -  is an Alka-Seltzer with a spoonful of lemon juice.

‘My hangover tip? Loads of water. And stay near a loo!’ said Dame Joan Bakewell

DAME JOAN BAKEWELL, 77, Writer and broadcaster

My hangover tip? Loads of water. And stay near a loo!

TRACEY EMIN, 47, Artist

Once you’re over 40, there is no real escape from a hangover. The better the champagne and wine, the more you drink. So there’s no escape.

MICHAEL PALIN, 67, Author, traveller and TV presenter

This festive season I am hoping to sample Unicum, a fiendish liqueur recipe devised in Budapest and used by the Emperor of Austria. it is apparently 40 per cent proof, which maybe misses the point about a hangover remedy, but I think the word Unicum sounds so wonderful  -  I’ve got to try it. 

ULRIKA JONSSON, 43, TV presenter

Withfour kids I don’t do much drinking now. in the old days I would eat a large bowl of Coco Pops while still drunk and try to soak up the alcoholthat way. But eating the next day is as much part of the fun as the drinking was the night before. So, I always stock up on stodge for the next day. Lots of cheese or a lovely mezze or fry-up.

Apparently,this is the worst thing you can do as it makes an already struggling liver work harder. Alternatively, there is beetroot juice, which is meant to be good for cleansing and detoxifying. But the whole idea of having something healthy on a hangover would drive me to drink.

‘Oh, a ‘Full Irish’ is the best cure!’ said Jasmine Guinness

JASMINE GUINNESS, 34, Model

Oh, a ‘Full Irish’ is the best cure! A big breakfast of bacon, egg, sausage, black and white pudding and tomato with strong tea, followed up with a can of Coke. That does the trick!

DANIEL CRAIG, 42, Actor

You’re best off sweating it out after a heavy night out. if I really can’t force myself to work out and get my body moving, a stint in the sauna is the way to go to get rid of a hangover.

THEO FENNELL, 58, Jeweller

I haven’t had a drink for 11 years but I did suffer terribly from hangovers in my drinking days. my remedy was a Bounty Bar followed by a swig of Lucozade. if the Lucozade didn’t work the first time, I would have another glass with a drop of vodka in it.

EMILY MAITLIS, 40, BBC Newsnight co-presenter

I have never been able to find a cure that worked other than sleep. I know it’s lame, but I’ve found it’s the only thing that works.

MAEVE BINCHY, 70, Novelist

When I worked on the Irish Times, our theatre critic was a doctor who always recommended drinking a small amount of the alcohol you had the night before. unfortunately, I found that one drink tasted so nice I would immediately have a second…and then a third.

GYLES BRANDRETH, 62, TV presenter and author

In my days of imbibing too much I always found a cheese sandwich worked wonders. I won’t recommend a particular cheese as none of them have paid me to endorse the product. I’ll get back to you on that.

SEAN BEAN, 51, Actor

My cure is a swift sharp run in the morning . . . to the nearest pub for a hair of the dog.

‘What works for me is a crumpet with some cream, some smoked salmon and a fresh fried egg on top, garnished with some olive oil,’ said Chris Rea

CHRIS REA, 59, Musician

What works for me is a crumpet with some cream, some smoked salmon and a fresh fried egg on top, garnished with some olive oil.

WILLIAM ROACHE, 78, Actor

I don’t drink now but I used to make a point of drinking a lot of water before bed and lots of tomato juice with Lea & Perrins in the morning. A hangover is mainly dehydration and sleep deprivation. So drink water and have a lie-in if possible.

ALEXANDER MCCALL SMITH, 62, Author

Exercise! A brisk walk  -  that’s what works for me.

LADY ANNABEL GOLDSMITH, 76, Socialite

I’d love to have more hangovers. But as I loathe champagne and prefer just a single cocktail  -  I don’t have that many. my late ex-husband Mark Birley suffered dreadfully from hangovers. His cure involved raw eggs (yolk contains an amino acid that helps to drive out the toxins acquired from alcohol). after my book launch recently I did have a hangover and found stroking my four dogs was a great help.

NATALIE PINKHAM, 31, TV Presenter

I swear by Bloody Marys to cure hangovers. The other trick is to drink a pint of water with an aspirin before bed to prevent one from kicking in. But the chances of remembering to actually do it are pretty slim…

SALLY FARMILOE, 56, Actress

Nothing is as effective as bananas the morning after. if I’m hungover I eat up to four of them  -  they do reduce the symptoms. I’m told that’s because they contain potassium, which you lose when drinking alcohol.

ROY HUDD, 74, Actor and comedian

I had a permanent hangover for two years when I was in the RAF. Now I am more abstemious although I do enjoy a glass. my cure? A pantomime matinee. There is nothing better than shouting, ‘Behind you!’ or ‘Oh no they’re not!’ you come out exhilarated and the hangover has vanished.

ED STOURTON, 53, BBC presenter

The best hangover cure I have ever had was after a night on the tiles getting a call at 3am to say that Evan Davies wasn’t able to do the Today programme and could I stand in. it meant getting up at 4.30 and making my way to the office. my hangover disappeared. it was pure adrenalin. I don’t recommend it though!

‘I always found tomato juice the morning after was good,’ said June Whitefield

JUNE WHITFIELD, 85, Actress

I haven’t had a hangover in a while but I always found tomato juice the morning after was good. And to tell the truth, with some vodka, celery, Worcester sauce  -  a Bloody Mary  -  was a great help, too.

LORD BRAGG, 71, Broadcaster,

I have a regime where I don’t drink for one week of the month, have a modest amount in week two, a little more in week three, leading up to a fairly boozy week four. I don’t like champagne and I can’t stand orange juice so what do I drink at dos? Wine, I suppose. Hangovers? never heard of them!

NATASHA KAPlINSKY, 38, Newscaster

I don’t drink now. I was once making a tiramasu and put a large amount of coffee liqueur in by mistake and I was in bed for three days. I haven’t had a drink since.

ESTHER RANTZEN, 70, TV Presenter

Us non-drinkers only get hangovers from too much Heston Blumenthal Christmas pudding.

SIR DAVID FROST, 71, Broadcaster

Callit a gift, but no matter how much I have ever drunk I never suffer fromhangovers. It’s the same with jet lag. Even when I was crossing the Atlantic on a thrice-weekly basis drinking champagne on Concorde I neverhad jet lag and I never had a hangover.

Headache, weakness, vomiting, upset stomach,sweating  -  just a few of the symptoms of a hangover caused by thediuretic effect of alcohol, which poisons many parts of the body andcauses the drinker to become dehydrated.

There is no setamount of alcohol that will cause a hangover since each individualreacts differently. Alcohol pushes fluids out of the body includingessential salts such as potassium and magnesium. it is the dehydration that gives you a hangover.

Because glucoseis key to brain energy, when sugar levels dip (hypoglycaemia) it addsto feelings of fatigue, irritability and poor concentration. Chooseyour drinks wisely.

Darker, sweeter drinks have morecongeners  -  toxic chemicals formed during fermentation, which causemany of the symptoms of a hangover.

So brandy, sherry, red wine and whisky are more likely to give you a hangover than white wine and vodka.

BBC Radio Four Today programme presenters rise at 3am  -  not the most conducive way to shake off a hangover. Here’s how they cope with the morning after . . .

‘I used to drink spicy tomato juice and eat the celery bit, leaves and all,’ said Justin Webb

Don’t drink too much! Getting up at 3am makes this the only sure-fire way of avoiding disaster. however, back in the day I think I used to drink spicy tomato juice and eat the celery bit, leaves and all. The weirdness of the sensation takes your mind off the headache.

UntilI was 32 I was a real lush, but then I got a grip and don’t drink so much now. What I used to do was drink a glass of wine and match it with aglass of water but in truth I prefer beer and you can’t drink a glass of beer followed by an equalsized glass of water all night. I am in whatAdrian Mole’s creator Sue Townsend describes as ‘the prostrate years’ and you would need an enormous bladder to cope with that regime. I do take a daily run and I find a short jog in the morning does clear the head.

Bawling children in the morning certainly clears the head and often prohibits over indulgence the night before.

I find drinking good whisky does the trick. it has to be the finest malt. But the best cure is a walk in Highland sunshine  -  a hangover in West London, however, is not easily cured. 

Contrary to popular belief, food does not ‘soak up’ alcohol but it does increase the metabolism, which helps deal with a hangover.

A bacon sandwich, for example, will help because bread is high in carbohydrates and bacon is full of protein, which breaks down into amino acids to help the body function. 

A bacon sandwich will help with a hangover because bread is high in carbohydrates and bacon is full of protein, which breaks down into amino acids to help the body function

Vegetable-based Bouillon soup can top up depleted resources and is easy for a queasy stomach to digest. Hair of the dog – drinking more alcohol – can lift the spirits because ethanol in alcohol blocks the breakdown of methanol to formaldehyde and formic acid.

However,this puts further strain on the liver and just postpones the hangover. Paracetamol-based remedies are usually preferable as aspirin may irritate the stomach.

Drink a glass of orange juice before bed – the Vitamin C speeds up the metabolism of the alcohol by the liver.

Do you have a good hangover cure? Email health@mailonsunday.co.uk