Great British Food - Christmas 2025

FrenchOnionSoup I remember the first time I ate this: I was a young boy stopping for a family lunch onmy first ski trip to the Alps, when out came a bubbling cauldron of onions, cheese and bread. Mymumwarnedme it would be hot, but, as I’msure is the case withmost people, I found the aroma too tempting and burnedmy tongue, as I’ve done nearly every time since. A staple in restaurants across France, the recipe actually originated as a humble peasant soupmade with just onions, stale bread andwater. Today’s versionmight be a bit fancier, but this is still wonderfully simple tomake at home. Slowly caramelised onionsmelting into a rich beef broth, slowly absorbed by day-old baguette covered inmolten Gruyère cheese… the ultimate comfort food, my perfect lunchwith a simple green salad. Serves: 4 Prepare: 15minutes Cook: 70–80minutes 1.5kg onions (about 6) Finely sliced 100g butter 3 garlic cloves, crushed 3 bay leaves Leaves froma few thyme sprigs 300ml white wine 1.3 litres good-quality beef stock 50ml soy sauce 1 bottle of full-bodied redwine, ideally Burgundy 1kg braising beef (see tip, right) 200g smoked cured belly bacon, such as pancetta 2 carrots, chopped 2 celery sticks, chopped 1 onion, chopped 1/2 garlic bulb 1 bouquet garni 25ml olive oil 2 tbsp plain flour 200ml beef stock Sea salt flakes and fresh-cracked black pepper To finish: 100g baby onions, peeled 100g buttonmushrooms 10g chopped parsley leaves 1. Pour the red wine into a saucepan set over a high heat, bring to the boil and simmer for 1 minute, then leave to cool in a large bowl. This is to remove the alcohol and intensify the flavour. 1/2 baguette, 1 day old 250g Gruyère cheese Sea salt flakes and fresh-cracked black pepper 1. Slowly caramelise the onions in the butter in a wide, heavy-based pan. After 10 minutes, add a pinch of salt, the garlic and bay leaves. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions are caramelised and brown, about 45 minutes. I know this sounds a long time, but it’ll be worth it. 2. Add the thyme to the onions, along with the wine. Bring to a simmer and cook until the wine has reduced by half. Add the beef stock and soy sauce and gently simmer for around 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the baguette into 2cm-thick slices and grate the Gruyère cheese. 3. Preheat the grill. Check the seasoning of the soup, adding salt and pepper if required. Ladle the hot soup into 4 ovenproof bowls that can go under the grill, top with the baguette slices and mound high with grated Gruyère, dividing it evenly between the bowls. Place under the hot grill until golden brown and bubbling, then serve. Beef Bourguignon One of France’smost famous recipes, this is a rich stew originating from Burgundy, a region renowned for its excellent wine and prized Charolais cattle. This is a dish – like somany of the classics – that started as a peasant meal made at home, a way to slow-cook tough, unwanted cuts of meat using ingredients already to hand. Over the years it has been refined. Now, it is the perfect meal if youwant to impress but don’t want to work too hard. All that’s required is patience, to allow time and the cooking process to work theirmagic. Although the timingsmay look a little daunting, there is actually very little active effort needed during this recipe; it’s only cutting, marinating, then a quick sear in the pan before the oven takes over. Plenty of time to kick back and enjoy your day. Serves: 4-6 Prepare: 25minutes, plus 4-12 hours marinating time Cook: 4.5 hours “Slowly caramelised onionsmelting into a rich beef broth, slowly absorbed by day- old baguette covered inmolten Gruyère cheese… the ultimate comfort food” RECI PES | MATTHEW RYLE greatbr i t ishfoodawards.com 62