BEER AND CHEESE SOUP

 INGREDIENTS:

200g back bacon
1 onion, fi nely chopped
1 chilli of your choosing, chopped 2 sticks celery
3 cloves garlic, chopped
50g butter
¼ cup fl our
330ml malt-forward beer
2 cups stock
1 cup cream
200g mature cheddar, grated 100g parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper

METHOD:

Chop the bacon into smallish pieces and cook until crispy (either in a frying pan or in the air fryer). Place on some kitchen towel to drain the fat. Set aside. In a stock pot or large saucepan, cook the onion, chilli and celery over medium-high heat – you can either use the bacon fat for cooking, or add a glug of olive oil to the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes (until the onion starts to turn translucent), then add the garlic. Give it a quick stir and add the butter. Once the butter has melted, add the fl our and stir, coating everything and allowing the fl our and butter to mix together. Add the beer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring the whole time. You should see the soup start to thicken.