Cheese and Onion Soup
Serves: 20
Vegetarian

8-10 large onions
10 cloves garlic
10 tablespoons butter or oil
5 teaspoons mustard powder (could substitute 5 teaspoons very hot English mustard)
5 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
4-6 cups chopped vegetables (leeks are good)
10 cups water
10 tablespoons butter
10 tablespoons flour
7 1/2 cups whole milk
5 cups sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup sherry (could substitute red wine)
5 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2-3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce

Slice onions finely and chop the garlic. (It helps to have a food processer to do the onions!) Melt the butter in the bottom of a large soup pot. Cook the onions with the garlic, mustard powder, salt and pepper until soft (use a fairly low heat) without letting them go brown. Add the water and the other chopped vegetables and bring to the boil. Cover the pot and turn down the heat and let them simmer until the vegetables are barely tender. In another pot melt the second amount of butter then stir in the flour until you have a smooth paste. Continue stirring while the mixture cooks for at least 1 minute. Add the milk and keep stirring until the sauce boils and thickens, allow to boil for a minute or so and then remove from heat and stir in the grated cheese. Add the cheese sauce to the onion mixture then stir in the sherry and soy and Tabasco sauces. Cook over a very low heat (avoid boiling) for a further 10 minutes. If soup looks too thick, add more milk until it looks right.

Serving suggestion: Serve with lots of bread for a complete meal.