Three-onion soup with stilton croutons

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large heavy-based saucepan with a lid, then add the onions, red onions, most of the spring onions and herbs along with a generous pinch of salt. Stir to coat the onions in the butter, then cover with the lid and cook over a medium heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring every 5-10 minutes to make sure the onions don’t catch and burn.
2. After this time the onions should have reduced in volume, be very soft and have a pale golden brown colour. Once they get to this stage, remove the lid and discard the herbs. Add the garlic, then cook, stirring, over a medium-high heat for a few minutes until the garlic aroma softens. Add the muscovado sugar and cook for 10-15 minutes more, stirring, until deeply caramelised (see tips). Take time when caramelising onions. Only add the liquid (step 3) when the onions are fully browned as they won’t caramelise any further after the liquid has been added.
3. Once the onions are well browned and caramelised, stir in the Marmite and mushroom ketchup until smooth, turn up the heat, then pour in the wine, stout and brandy. Bubble briskly for 5-6 minutes to reduce the liquid a little, then pour in the stock and bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, using a spoon to skim off any foam that forms on the surface, then season to taste with salt and pepper.
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4. Meanwhile, heat the grill to medium. Grill the baguette slices for 2 minutes on each side to crisp up, then remove and crumble over the cheese, return to the grill and cook until the cheese is bubbling.

5. At the end of the soup’s simmering time, add the extra splash of brandy and taste again, seasoning if needed. Ladle the soup into warmed bowls and top each with 2 cheesy baguette slices. Scatter over some thyme leaves and the reserved spring onions, then serve immediately.