Cheese and Ale Soup (England)

      In England, no one pub is the same.  Each pub is its own separate community filled with unique personalities and histories, go into one and you can have an adventure go into another one and it can be an epic quest. 
      What each of these pubs do sometimes have in common, is that they usually serve some of the same foods.  Though they each have their own unique flavors and alcoholic pairings, there are some foods that you will always come across.  One such being a cheese and ale soup.
      Now for those who don't know how good this soup tastes may shutter at the thought of mixing a dairy product with alcohol.  But I can assure you that like many strange foods, the taste is much different then the ingredients which go into it.  The secret to making this soup, is in the title.  You need a good cheese and a very good ale.  Use only a mild cheddar, as the you do not want a sharp cheddar which will overpower the soup.  And when choosing your ale you should find a nice amber ale, use a dark or pale and for some reason the soup turns out rather grainy.

Cheese and Ale Soup

1/4 cup unsalted butter

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup onion (minced)

3 tablespoons garlic (minced)

2 cups chicken stock

1 cup British amber ale

2 cups half and half

2 cups grated mild cheddar cheese



In a large stock pot melt the butter, add in the flour to make a rue and continue stirring until the flour has cooked through (aka turned a golden brown color). This should take anywhere from 8 to 10 minutes.  Add in the onion and saute until tender (they will be very transparent and golden). 

Add in the ale and chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and add the half and half.  Stirring frequently add the cheese by crumbling hand fulls of the cheese into the soup pot.  NOTE: it is very important that you keep stirring during the addition of the cheese and after as well so that any non-melted cheese does not settle at the bottom of your pot and burn.  (If some cheese does burn in the pot, the best thing to do is to add some distilled white vinegar to it and allow it to come to a boil, then clean the pan with a thick bristled scrubber.)

Ladle the soup into individual bowls and serve with some toasted Italian bread for sopping up the remaining soup. 

Serves 6-8