Swedish Army Trangia French Onion Soup Recipe by Alan Bolger

One of our customers, Alan Bolger, sent us this French onion soup recipe cooked on a Swedish Army Trangia. It's simple, cheap, and exactly the kind of thing that hits the spot after a cold day out with the hammock and tarp. Over to Alan.

What you'll need

• 2-3 onions, sliced
• 3-4 vegetable Oxo cubes
• 3 cloves of garlic, crushed
• A knob of butter or margarine
• 1 pint of water
• Black pepper, to taste
• A baguette or crusty bread roll, for the garlic bread

All of this fits easily in a Trangia storm cooker pan, which is exactly why it's become a go-to camp recipe of mine - one pan, no fuss, cooked over the burner while everything else is drying out by the fire.

Method

1. Melt the butter or margarine in the Trangia pan over a low-medium flame.
2. Add the sliced onions and crushed garlic, and fry gently until the onions have softened and turned golden - don't rush this bit, low and slow is what gives the soup its flavour.
3. Crumble in the Oxo cubes and add the pint of water. Stir well to dissolve the stock cubes fully.
4. Bring to a simmer and let it cook down for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Season with black pepper to taste.

Garlic bread on the side

While the soup simmers, split the baguette, rub with a little of the leftover garlic and butter, and toast it over the embers or on a foldable fire grill until it's crisp at the edges. Dunk it straight in the soup.

Why the Trangia works so well for this

The Trangia's windshield does most of the work here - it keeps the flame steady even when it's blowing a gale, which is more often than not on a British wild camp. If you're kitting yourself out for a night under the stars, our Wild Camping Essentials guide covers the rest of what we'd pack alongside it.

Thanks to Alan for sending this one in - if you've got a camp recipe of your own, we'd love to hear it.