Over medium heat, melt butter. Add garlic and cook a bit. Add asparagus, season with salt and pepper, cook for 5 mins until golden.

Dissolve half a cube of vegetable stock in 240ml of boiling water

Add stock and simmer, covered, until asparagus is very tender but still green 10-15 mins

Using a hand blender, purée soup until a gravy texture is reached

Stir in cream, then warm over low heat. Add seasoning and salt and pepper. Add lukewarm water to get it to the consistency of a soup.