Cider & onion soup with cheese & apple toasts

This is my version of a classic French onion soup. I use a mature cheddar or British blue cheese for the toasts, but you can use any cheese you have in your fridge

– a crumbly goat’s cheese would also work really well.

SERVES 2 PREP 25 mins COOK 35 mins EASY

30g butter

2 onions, peeled and sliced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced 100ml scrumpy cider

1 small potato, peeled and sliced 2 thyme sprigs, plus 1 tsp thyme leaves to serve

450ml chicken stock 50ml double cream or crème fraîche ½ Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks For the toasts

2 slices sourdough or baguette 20g grated cheddar or other crumbled cheese

10g dried apple

1 spring onion, finely sliced

1 Heat the butter in a saucepan until foaming, then add the onions and cook for 10 mins until soft and golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 min more. Pour over the cider, then add the potato and thyme sprigs and simmer for another 2 mins. Stir in the stock and cream, bring to the boil and simmer for 15 mins until the potato is soft. Remove and discard the thyme, transfer the soup to a blender and blitz until smooth.

2 To make the cheese & apple toasts, heat the grill to high. Toast the bread on both sides, then mix the cheese, dried apple and onion together. Pack the mixture onto the toasts, then grill until melted and golden. Pour the soup into bowls, scatter over the apple matchsticks and thyme leaves, then serve with the toasts.

GOOD TO KNOW fibre • 1 of 5-a-day

PER SERVING 523 kcals • fat 31g • saturates 19g • carbs 40g • sugars 16g • fibre 6g • protein 14g • salt 2.3g