Grate half a pound of cheese and spread a layer of this at the bottom of the soup-tureen.

Cover this layer of cheese with some very thin slices of stale crumb of bread.

Then put another layer of cheese and another layer of bread till all the cheese is used up.

Next take about two tablespoonfuls of brown roux, melt this in a small saucepan, and add two tablespoonfuls of chopped onion.

Let the onion cook in the melted roux over the fire, and then add a quart of water, and stir it all up till it boils, adding pepper and salt and a few drops of Parisian essence (burnt sugar) to give it a dark brown colour.