Gordon Ramsay’s white onion soup is creamy, pale and topped with sharp melted cheddar. It’s made with just white onions, butter, garlic, stock, cream and cheese, and the whole thing takes about 30 minutes from start to finish.
This is Ramsay’s White Onion and Cheddar Soup from Great British Pub Food. He calls for new season’s onions because they bring a natural sweetness to the soup, and pairs them with Montgomery cheddar because its piquant edge cuts right through that sweetness.
The key to the whole dish is keeping the onions pale. You want them soft and translucent after 7 to 10 minutes in butter, with no colour at all. The moment they start browning you’ve made a different soup, so keep the heat at medium and stir often.
Gordon Ramsay’s White Onion and Cheddar Soup
Course: Soup, Starter4
10
minutes20
minutes310
kcal30
minutesEasy
Gordon Ramsay’s white onion soup from Great British Pub Food, blended silky smooth and finished with strong cheddar stirred through. A creamy, pale, elegant starter that costs about £2.90 to make and takes 30 minutes.
Ingredients
20g (¾ oz) unsalted butter
900g (2 lb) white onions, peeled and sliced
Sea salt and black pepper
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely crushed
2 bay leaves
Few thyme sprigs, leaves stripped
300ml (1¼ cups) chicken stock
200ml (¾ cup) whole milk
75ml (⅓ cup) double cream
100g (3½ oz) strong cheddar such as Montgomery or extra mature, grated
Directions
- Sweat the onions: Melt the butter in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onions with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until soft and translucent but not browned at all.
- Add the aromatics: Stir in the garlic, bay leaves and thyme leaves. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes until the garlic is fragrant.
- Simmer in stock: Pour in the stock, bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and cook for 10 minutes until the onions are completely soft. Remove from the heat and take out the bay leaves.
- Blend until smooth: Blitz with a stick blender until smooth. For a restaurant-quality finish, pass the soup through a fine sieve as well.
- Finish with cheese: Return the soup to the pan, add the milk and cream, and bring back to a gentle simmer. Stir in the grated cheddar and season to taste. Serve in warm bowls with buttery scones or crusty bread.
FAQs
Why white onions and not brown?
White onions are milder and sweeter than brown ones, which is why Ramsay uses them here. They give the soup a delicate, clean flavour and keep it pale. Brown onions work in a pinch, but the soup will taste stronger and look slightly darker.
Ramsay specifically mentions using new season’s onions in spring because they’re even sweeter. If you’re making this between March and June, grab them when you see them.
What cheese should I use?
Ramsay calls for Montgomery cheddar, which is a handmade Somerset cheese with a sharp, piquant bite. It’s not cheap and most supermarkets don’t stock it, so Tesco Extra Mature Cheddar at £3.35 for 400g is the closest everyday swap.
The important thing is using something strong. Mild cheddar disappears into the soup and you won’t taste it. You need that sharp edge to cut through the sweetness of the onions.
How much does this soup cost to make?
About £2.90 for four bowls. The biggest cost is the cheese at around £0.84 for 100g if you use Tesco Extra Mature. The 900g of onions comes to about £0.72 loose, and stock, butter, milk, cream and garlic fill in the rest.
That makes it one of the cheapest soups you can make. Serve it before something like roast duck with pancakes or a warming beef stew with dumplings for a proper winter meal.
Is this the same as French onion soup?
Not at all. French onion soup uses dark caramelised onions, beef stock, and gets topped with a bread crouton and melted Gruyère under the grill. It’s heavy, rich and brown.
This is the opposite: pale, creamy, blended smooth, with the cheese stirred into the soup itself. Think of it as the elegant starter version rather than the hearty pub bowl.
Does white onion soup keep well?
It keeps in the fridge for up to two days and reheats gently on the hob. Add the cheese fresh when you reheat rather than storing it in the soup, because cheddar can go grainy if it sits too long in hot liquid.
It doesn’t freeze well because of the milk and cream. This is a make-it-fresh soup, which is fine because it only takes 30 minutes anyway.
