Because it is a relatively easy crop to grow and keeps very well on the shop shelf, the humble onion is still cheap and cheerful, a bringer of austerity joy along with peeling tears. No home should be without a bag of onions to form the basis of cheap homemade soups, add vegetable bulk to stews, and provide a bit of zing to salads. As with so many other veg, go for the big bags of undersized ones when you see them in the shops, same flavour but cheaper.
The onion can take centre stage as well as filling supporting roles. A simple and delicious dish my mother cooked in the Sixties and Seventies, probably made when funds were not abundant, was cheese and onions. Slice a load of onions thinly, put in a saucepan, cover with milk and a bit extra, ideally using full-cream but semi-skimmed is fine, not that nasty grey skimmed stuff though. Heat it to a bubbling simmer and cook until the onions are super-soft. It's milk, so you don't want to have the heat too high and risk it boiling over. Season to taste - for me it needs quite a bit of salt - turn the heat right down, or put a heat diffuser under the pan, then add plenty of grated cheddar or anything else you have to hand that melts well. If you have too high a heat the cheese turns to rubber, so don't rush it.
Serve in bowls with lots of white bread generously buttered to dip in the juices (with which the butter inevitably melds). This is not a dish that you can play tunes with. Don't add anything, it's perfect in itself. And white bread is the best here, cheapo sliced is fine but a cottage loaf would add a touch of class if you want. Cheap, filling, tasty, most kids love it, great for autumn or winter suppers. Drink a glass of wine as you eat and call the experience Pennine Fondue or the Lancashire Fondue.
