Instructions

Melt the butter with olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion, garlic and sugar and cook over a med-high heat for 5-6 minutes or until the onions are starting to colour.

Reduce the heat to as low as possible and leave the onions to cook for a further 30 minutes until soft and golden.

Pour in the stock, add thyme, then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bring soup to a simmer and leave to gently cook for 40 minutes, adding brandy towards the end of cooking.

Meanwhile preheat oven to 220°C. Remove the bread from the packaging and separate. Cut each bread half into 3 pieces and place cheese-side up on an oven tray. Cook for 8-10 minutes until cheese has melted and bread is starting to crisp.

Ladle soup into bowls and top with cheese bread. Serve at once.