Discard all but the top 6-8 cm (2 1/2 - 3 1/2 inches) of the asparagus spears as the lower part may make the soup bitter.

Cut the remainder into 2.5 cm (1 inch) lengths. Reserve a few 1 cm ( 1/2 inch) tips for garnishing and cook these separately for 10 minutes in a little boiling water.

Bring the stock to the boil, put in the asparagus, the peas or chopped spinach, the sugar and seasoning and boil until the vegetables are tender. Pur�e the vegetables and stock in a food processor or blender or push through a sieve.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour and add the asparagus pur�e. Bring to the boil, stirring in the milk.

To serve, stir in the cream and add a few asparagus tips to each bowl.