Recipe: English Onion Soup

With the weather turning autumnal, I suddenly start craving warming foods that I wouldn't dream of touching during the summer months. Number one on that list is soup, one of my favourites being French Onion. There are a number of passable French Onion Soups that I've had at restaurants but none can compare to my Grandma's recipe. To properly prepare my Grandma's soup takes hours, of which I don't have the time or patience for. This has lead me to creating my yummy interpretation of this French classic - English Onion Soup.

The recipe is really simple and only requires a few ingredients, but most important to its success is a slow cooker!

Ingredients:

• 50 g (1.76oz) butter
• Approx. 4 large onions
• 4-6 garlic cloves (smoked garlic if you can get it)
• 250 ml (1 cup) vegetable stock
• 750 ml (3.1 cups) sweet or medium English cider
• 2 slices of wholemeal bread
• 100 g Cheddar cheese 
• 1 egg yolk

Method:

1. Cook the onions and garlic in the butter on low heat, stirring frequently until the onions become soft and nearly translucent (roughly 25 minutes).
2. Transfer to the slow cooker, add the stock and cider and cook on LOW heat for about 6-8 hours. If you don't have the time to let it cook, you can put the slow cooker on HIGH and heat for roughly 3 hours. 
3. When the soup is done, preheat the grill and toast the bread on one side until golden. Put the Cheddar slices on the untoasted side and grill the cheese until bubbling. 
4. Remove the soup for the heat and whisk in the egg yolk.
5. Serve with the cheese toasts on top and a cold glass of English cider!

I usually make the soup the night before and put the dish in the fridge to let it steep over night. Then in the morning before I go to work all I have to do is take it out and turn the slow cooker on! It's great coming home to a warm meal!

Erin x