After more than a year of anticipation and a full rebrand, Meghan Markle’s raspberry spread has finally hit store shelves. With all the hype and celebrity buzz surrounding it, the big question is whether this berry blend lives up to expectations. Spoiler: it might be time for Meghan to head back to the drawing board.
A $14 jar of the spread, complete with keepsake packaging, was reviewed by Female—marking the first public critique of the product. The buzz started last March when Meghan launched her brand under the name American Riviera Orchard, reportedly sending out 50 jars to celebrity friends. Since then, the brand has reemerged as As Ever, with Meghan describing the spread as a personal recipe developed in her own kitchen.
However, there’s a twist. On a recent episode of With Love, Meghan, she explained that her creation technically isn’t jam. According to her, true jam contains equal parts sugar and fruit—something she finds problematic because it masks the fruit’s flavor. Her alternative? A formula with more sugar and less fruit, which, ironically, seems to have backfired.
Female’s reviewer found the product underwhelming from the start. Upon opening the jar, they were immediately struck by the texture—or the lack of it. The spread was so runny, it could barely hold its shape, almost as though it had melted during transit. It was described as thin and liquid-like, more reminiscent of a syrup than a traditional spread.
When it came to taste, things didn’t improve. The flavor was overwhelmingly sweet—more like raspberry syrup than a fruit preserve. The tartness of the lemon, which was supposed to cut through the sugar, was completely lost. The sweetness overpowered any natural fruit notes and left a cloying aftertaste that lingered.
The spread also failed the toast test. Once applied, it quickly soaked through the bread, turning crispy sourdough into a soggy mess in just minutes. The reviewer noted that it might be more suitable as a drizzle over pancakes or ice cream rather than used in the classic toast-and-jam pairing.
When compared to well-known jams like Bonne Maman or Wegmans, Meghan’s product fell noticeably short. Those alternatives offered a much thicker consistency and a more refined sweetness, managing to enhance rather than overwhelm whatever they were paired with. In contrast, Meghan’s spread felt more like a sugary sauce than a balanced preserve.
In the end, Female gave it a disappointing two out of five stars. If Meghan hopes to stay in the jam game, a serious recipe overhaul may be in order. As it stands, the As Ever raspberry spread is overpriced, overly sweet, and far too runny to be taken seriously as a quality fruit spread.
