Boozy food poses drink-drive risk

• Christmas pud as boozy as a pint of lager
• One helping of sherry trifle contains 2.7 units
• Even liqueur chocolates add to blood alcohol

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Alcohol in festive foods could put many motorists over the drink-drive limit this Christmas.

One in three drivers is unaware of the hidden alcohol units they will consume in traditional holiday treats, according to research by the insurer, Esure.

A portion of Christmas pudding contains around 2.7 units of alcohol – that's nearly as much as a pint of strong lager. Sherry trifle is equally alcoholic, so a second helping could be enough to put many drivers over the drink-drive limit.

Spoon on the brandy butter and you'll consume 0.3 units, a helping of rum sauce is around 0.3 units and a slice of Christmas cake contains 0.4 units. Even the small amount of alcohol in liqueur chocolates adds to the total.

'Some people believe that food may help absorb the alcohol, whereas in many cases it actually adds to it,' warned Esure's head of risk and underwriting, Mike Pickard.

There's no hard and fast rule to judge how much alcoholic food and drink will put an individual over the drink-drive limit. More than four units for men, and three units for women, is typically enough to exceed the limit of 80mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.

The safest course is to avoid all alcohol if you're planning to drive.