British Cider and Onion Soup

We all know that French onion soup is something that probably can’t be beaten or improved on. So you have the beef stock, the onions, white wine, Gruyere, croutons… doesn’t it make your mouth water just to think about it? However, what you might not know is that the Brits have their own version of French onion soup – an onion soup made with cider instead of white wine and which is white or off-white in colour. In the UK cider is always alcoholic, what the Americans call hard cider. If it’s non-alcoholic they simply say apple juice. British cider is flat or sparkling. Any type is fine for making this recipe.

In addition to the cider we are using butter, leeks, onions, apples, potatoes, stock and herbs. Thyme and bay leaves are used to flavour the soup but they are discarded before serving. We like to add Gruyere cheese, thyme and sometimes a little ground nutmeg for garnish. The Gruyere and thyme are ingredients ‘borrowed’ from the typical French onion soup recipe but they go so well with the onions, so be generous with them here!

This soup would be nice for lunch or dinner, or you could serve half-sized portions as a starter recipe. A lot of the alcohol will be ‘cooked off’ but if you really don’t want to use it then simply sub the hard cider for regular cider or apple juice. The recipe will still taste nice. Served with some crusty white bread, this makes a great meal and there is something so satisfying about the combination of flavours. Try it for yourself and see!

This creamy white soup just begs to be eaten, and what you will experience in your mouth is a real explosion of amazing flavours – you will get onion, apple, herbs and just pure enjoyment from this soup. We are using cider and onion as the main flavours, then adding fresh herbs to add aromatic hints plus other ingredients to make the texture and taste just perfect. This soup is like a British take on French onion soup. Call it British onion soup if you will, although that might sound a little odd. The is one of those dishes that has to be made and sampled before passing comment, because yes, you will be surprised how good this tastes.