The REAL reason Meghan’s ‘jam’ is so runny: Royal fans critique ‘watery’ spread amid confusion over what’s actually in the jar
Meghan Markle’s As Ever range finally launched on Wednesday last week – and the products sold out within half an hour of going live.
But some royal fans have been left unimpressed by one item in particular; The Duchess of Sussex‘s raspberry ‘jam’ has come under fire after appearing ‘watery’.
In the first public review of the $14 spread, which arrives in keepsake packaging, FEMAIL revealed how the confection was ‘very liquid and quite thin’.
‘If we hadn’t known better, we’d have thought it melted during its expedited journey to us,’ explained reviewer Jane Herz For Dailymail.Com. ‘When we stuck our spoon into Meghan’s raspberry spread, its consistency dripped off the silverware like a sauce.’
The review continued: ‘It was difficult to eat the spread with the toast, as it was so thin that it dribbled everywhere and made a mess. Our once nicely toasted piece of bread became a sopping wet disaster after just a few minutes.’
Fans online were also quick to notice the thin consistency of the ‘jam’, with one person writing: ‘I can tell it’s runny just from the picture! No seeds, no texture. Just liquid red sugar water.’
Another person said on X, formerly Twitter: ‘Looks small, expensive, runny texture and not that special. I think I will stick with my regular jam.’
But the reason Meghan’s spread is noticeably runny is likely due to it not actually being a jam – despite the Duchess herself claiming ‘jam is my jam’ in her Instagram post announcing the rebranding of her initial American Riviera Orchard business.
Meghan Markle’s As Ever range finally launched on Wednesday last week – and the products sold out within half an hour of going live. Pictured, Meghan on her Netflix show
However, her As Ever preserves can’t technically be called jam, because ‘jam is equal parts sugar and fruit,’ explained Prince Harry’s wife in an episode of her Netflix show, With Love, Meghan.
”I just don’t think you can taste the fruit that way,’ suggested the mother-of-two on her series.
Per Food & Wine, jam is regulated by the FDA, and it must come from a single fruit, containing at least 45 per cent fruit and 55 per cent sugar.
What Meghan is selling under As Ever is not called a jam or a preserve – it’s a spread, with ingredients of raspberries, organic pure cane sugar, organic lemon juice concentrate, and fruit pectin, a natural stabilizer.
On the As Ever website, the company claims the raspberry fruit spread ‘is inspired by the recipe Meghan crafted in her home kitchen‘.
The description of the Raspberry Spread in Keepsake Packaging also admits it ‘is crafted with a fluid texture so it can be drizzled, spread, poured and enjoyed for so much more than your morning toast’.
For DailyMail.com’s review, it’s the ‘consistency that takes away from the product’ and ‘makes it an absolute failure’, according to the reviewer, who awarded the product just two out of five stars.
‘The Duchess says that jam is her jam, but we’re not so sure. Maybe it’s sauce?’, added the writer.
In the first public review of Meghan’s $14 raspberry spread, which arrives in keepsake packaging, FEMAIL revealed how the confection (pictured) was ‘very liquid and quite thin’
But some royal fans have been left unimpressed by one item in particular; The Duchess of Sussex ‘s raspberry ‘jam’ (pictured) has come under fire after appearing ‘watery’
Fans online flocked to X to agree, with many questioning the look of the raspberry spread, which is made in a factory.
One person wrote: ‘That’s not a spread or a jam or a jelly. It’s goopy and runny. Almost like it needed to be cooked longer to get the pectins to start doing their thing to get the cooked fruit together. Weird.’
Another said: ‘Is the reason Meghan calls it spread because it’s so runny? I should imagine it will make bread or toast very soggy? No that’s not for me.’
A third added: ‘As the daughter of a woman who has diligently made and sold fruit preserves for years to sustain our family farm, that “raspberry spread” is absolutely gross. It doesn’t qualify to be called a spread at all, with that texture and consistency.’
It comes after Meghan was accused of using a ‘common marketing ploy’ to help her As Ever lifestyle range to sell out in a matter of minutes.
The collection included a wildflower honey with honeycomb priced at $28 (£21.60), $15 (£11.60) flower sprinkles, shortbread and crepe mixes – both being sold for $14 – and various herbal tea mixes for $12 (£9.30) each.
When the items went on sale in the States last week, they were snapped up within minutes, selling out within half an hour of going live.
However, despite the sell-out opening day, some have seemingly cast doubt on the success of the 43-year-old’s latest business venture.
Reaction: Fans online were also quick to notice the thin consistency of the ‘jam’, with one person writing: ‘I can tell it’s runny just from the picture! No seeds, no texture. Just liquid red sugar water’
The Telegraph quoted what they called a well-placed source as saying the items had been made available in small quantities and quickly marked as sold out to generate interest, which is ‘a common marketing ploy’.
In a post on social media, Meghan wrote: ‘We’re live! Come shop the As ever collection I’ve poured so much love into. So excited to share this with you’, before adding ‘limited quantities for each seasonal drop’.
MailOnline approached the Duchess of Sussex and Netflix for comment at the time.
Launching the range, Meghan told her followers in a newsletter that it’s a ‘love language’ rather than a brand.
In a gushing message to her followers, she wrote: ‘If you’ve been receiving these newsletters, you’ve been reading my musings about this brand and why it means so much to me – why it’s person, why it brings me joy, and how I hope that it becomes both personal and joyful for you too.
‘You’re now familiar with the line-up of products, and as of today you can order them for yourself to experience at home. I can’t wait to hear what you think! Welcome to As Ever… this is just the beginning!’
The business venture comes just weeks after the Duchess unveiled her new TV show, With Love, Meghan.
Netflix, the maker of her series, is her business partner and will begin selling her lifestyle range inside two of America’s mega-malls later this year.
Per Food & Wine , jam is regulated by the FDA , and it must come from a single fruit, containing at least 45 per cent fruit and 55 per cent sugar. Pictured, Meghan’s raspberry spread
Meghan’s As Ever products (pictured) launched on Wednesday
The Duchess (pictured) had unveiled her lifestyle brand as American Riviera Orchard last year, sending out 50 jars of jam to her friends as a soft launch
However, behind the scenes, sources have suggested the launch of Meghan’s company has been anything but smooth sailing – with Netflix staff claiming they were already ‘over it’.
Speaking to MailOnline, an insider claimed the Montecito start-up has proved to be a ‘logistical nightmare’ after the 11th hour name change from American Riviera Orchard.
People working on the retail project are said to be tired of the ‘drama’ surrounding the Duchess of Sussex and Prince Harry, who has now been engulfed by scandal surrounding his Sentebale charity.
They have even been asked to sign NDAs to keep secret where the products, including her ‘fruit spread’, are being made, MailOnline’s source said.
‘There is so much drama surrounding them once again that internally the team are over it before it’s even launched’, the source has claimed.
‘It’s been a logistical nightmare and the buying team are having an issue as they can’t work out what the demand will be, if any’.
MailOnline’s insider said that away from the social media buzz, there are still fears internally about whether Meghan’s new brand will fly.
The Duchess had unveiled her lifestyle brand as American Riviera Orchard last year, sending out 50 jars of jam to her friends as a soft launch.
Meghan shared footage of her ‘fruit spread’ being made. A Netflix source claims that staff were asked to sign NDAs to ensure the location of the factory remains secret
What Meghan is selling under As Ever is not called a jam or a preserve – it’s a spread, with ingredients of raspberries, organic pure cane sugar, organic lemon juice concentrate, and fruit pectin, a natural stabilizer
The ‘American Riviera’ is a nickname for Santa Barbara, where Meghan lives with husband Prince Harry and their children Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet.
But Meghan was forced to do an embarrassing U-turn after US officials told her geographical locations could not be patented and she therefore could not trademark the brand – prompting the switch to ‘As Ever’.
Meghan confirmed the change of name in a video posted to her Instagram on February 18, shared with her 2.2million followers on the social media platform.
However, this too proved to be a shambles after it was revealed the name was already being used by a long-established independent clothing brand in New York.
And in another blow, the Duchess found herself embroiled in a plagiarism row over the logo for As Ever with a small town in Majorca.
The mayor of Porreres, a town on the Spanish island, accused Meghan’s company of copying their historic coat of arms in its logo, which features a palm tree and two birds.
The Duchess sought to defend the controversy surrounding the As Ever lifestyle firm amid the launch of its products.
In an interview with Inc., Meghan compared the name change fiasco to that of Bumble, the social media dating app, which changed its name from “Merci” early on.
Meghan, who is pals with the dating app’s tech guru founder, Whitney Wolfe Herd, claimed that even though she was ‘close friends’ with her, she had ‘no idea’ about Bumble’s original name.
‘These things that can feel very big as an entrepreneur when you’re building your own thing are completely normal,’ she added.
When Meghan unveiled her brand’s new name in February, Mark Kolski, founder of the New York City-based clothing brand As Ever, wrote on his brand’s website: ‘We are aware. We are not affiliated.’
