Of onions we had a great glut,
Of frying oil much we had too,

The twain were well-met,
Appetites they did whet,

(Though for hours I smelled like a French zoo).

Is there any ingredient that isn’t made to sing when deep-fried? Mozzarella, that often gutless ghost of a cheese, is suddenly miraculous, ethereal, when breadcrumbed and plopped into hot oil; sage, soapy and overbearing when eaten on its own becomes a brittle shard of Italian joy when hugging an anchovy and fried in a light batter. Onions, in their defence, are wonderful in pretty much any context, but there is something irresistible about a hot, crisp onion ring.

For the batter
100g self-raising flour
150-200ml fizzy water
1 egg white
A small handful of chives
Salt
**
Onions, peeled and cut into rounds
Corn/Vegetable/Sunflower oil

– Make the batter by whisking together the flour and water. The quantities are a little approximate but you want the consistency of double cream – a light batter. Whisk the egg white to soft peaks and fold through the batter with the chives and a pinch of salt. Set aside to rest.

– Now, with the onions I just cut them into rounds and separated them. There didn’t seem to be any of the thin film you often find on onions, but if there is get rid of it a la Helen Graves.

– Get a few inches of oil good and hot – a bit of bread should sizzle immediately when added – and, a few at a time, dip the onion rings first into the batter then into the oil. They should take a couple of minutes to become golden and crisp. Remove to kitchen towel and do the next batch. Season with a little salt and eat. We had ours with aioli, though chilli jam would be good, or just plain mayo, or worreva.