Onion soup with cheese toast

I do love a good old French onion soup, but don't cook it very often, as my sons dislike onions. When Eddie was younger, he loved French's fried onions (the one you buy in a plastic tub), but otherwise wouldn't eat any. Such a shame.
Saying that, I remember as a child I hated cooked onions too. When my Dad made his famous chicken soup (one of two dishes that he could cook), he would spoon out the onion which he cooked whole in the broth, and pretended to eat it, while I ran out of the kitchen gagging and screaming.

Onion soup (serves 2-3)
Ingredients:
25g butter
3tbsp olive oil
5 sweet onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp flour
a good glug of sherry (optional)
100ml dry red wine
500ml beef stock
sliced baguette or stonebaked ficelle and grated cheese (a couple of slices per serving)

Brown the thinly sliced onion rings in a large frying pan, with butter and olive oil. Keep the heat on low, and stir frequently. Once the onions started to caramelise and brown, add a generous glug of sherry. Stir until the alcohol is absorbed, then add 1tbsp of flour and stir for about a minute. Then add the red (or white) wine and beef stock.
Cook simmering for about half an hour. You might want to add hot water to the soup, if it becomes too thick.
Serve the soup with toasted slices of bread. Add the grated cheese, like Gruyere or Cheddar and grill the toast. Once the cheese has melted, add the toast to the soup.

There are many different variations of this classic French recipe. Some people use only white onions, some cook with red onions. Some cooks like to add a spoonful of Marmite or a dash of Worcestershire sauce, a bay leaf or even garlic.
I have also made toast with grated Parmesan, and it was delicious.