The recently revamped fruit preserves line of Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, had a promising launch, followed by a couple sticky situations.
After a monthslong hiatus from the spotlight, Meghan has officially eased her way back into the public eye. It started with a return to social media, and then came a new Netflix series, a podcast and the launch of her rebranded fruit preserves line, As Ever.
While announcing her plans for As Ever with her fans via Instagram, Meghan declared that “jam is my jam” and promised to include fruit preserves in her product line, which also includes a crepe mix, honey and flower sprinkles.
Customers flocked to the opportunity to taste Meghan’s $14 raspberry spread in keepsake packaging — the product sold out less than an hour after launching, Meghan announced.
Technically, the product cannot be described as jam, which is why Meghan calls it a spread. In an episode of her Netflix series “With Love, Meghan,” Meghan says her preserves cannot be labeled as jams because “jam is equal parts sugar and fruit,” and said, “I just don’t think you can taste the fruit that way.”
Packages of the raspberry spread have begun arriving on buyers’ doorsteps, and with that has come a flood of early reviews of the product — which claim the product is runny and unremarkable.
“It tastes like the same kind of raspberry spread/jam/jelly/preserve that you can buy in any supermarket in the United States,” longtime New York Post food critic Steve Cuozzo said in an official taste test. “It tastes fine. Raspberry jam always tastes fine. There’s nothing unique about this.”
Jane Herz, a reviewer for the Daily Mail, said the product “was so thin that it dribbled everywhere and made a mess.”
“If we hadn’t known better, we’d have thought it melted during its expedited journey to us,” Herz added. “When we stuck our spoon into Meghan’s raspberry spread, its consistency dripped off the silverware like a sauce.”
“This is really bad!” a reviewer wrote on X. “This is cheap, nasty stuff with the cheapest ingredients.”
Another reviewer, on TikTok, called it the “perfect sour jam.”
Kieran Southern, from the U.K. newspaper The Times, said the product is “slightly runny, certainly compared with the jams I am used to. It’s a bit sweeter than I’d like, but it tastes fresh.”
Meghan oversold her honey
Meghan’s limited-edition wildflower honey with honeycomb, which she sold for $28 a jar, also sold out fast.
According to People, Meghan’s honey sold out in less than five minutes. The honey, which she describes as having “earthy and floral notes, a glimmering golden hue, and a stunning honeycomb,” was even more sought-after than Meghan anticipated.
In an email sent to As Ever customers and shared on X, Meghan said she oversold the product and offered a solution.
“I was so sorry to hear about what happened with your order, and that due to overselling we are not able to get you your limited-edition honey,” Meghan wrote.
She continued, “When our next limited-edition item drop happens, you won’t just be the first to know ... you’ll be the first to receive it. No need to order, it will come to you in the mail as a gift from me.”