Thrifty Recipes 4: French Onion Soup

Supper for 25p. Not bad going!

My dad loved French Onion Soup. But, being a County Durham pitman, he was deeply suspicious of anything foreign. Especially anything from the land of the 'cheese eating surrender monkeys'. I can remember the first time I made this for him. He was outraged.

'French Onion Soup! What's wrong with English onions!'

Soup is perfect for autumnal suppers. The grilled cheese croutons make this so comforting and very substantial.

For 1 serving

2 onions (1 white, 1 red)

1 clove of garlic

Sherry

Vegetable stock

Slice of butter

Slices of French bread (English would also be fine Dad!)

Cheese (cheddar or gruyere)

Method

• Slice the onions into fine rings, cook in the melted butter over a very, very low heat with the crushed garlic. This will take about 30 minutes. The onions should be golden, melted and caramelised.

• Add a slosh of sherry, 2 cups of vegetable stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Beef stock is traditional, but this soup goes back to my vegetarian days, I've always used vegetable.

• Meanwhile, cover the bread with cheese and grill till bubbling.

• Serve with the croutons on top of the soup.