Is Meghan Markle's As Ever Jam Actually Worth It?

A jar the size of a teacup, a queue that formed within seconds of it going live, and a price tag almost as famous as the fruit inside. Meghan Markle’s As Ever raspberry jam arrived in April 2025 trailing more headlines than most royal engagements manage in a year, and it has not really stopped being discussed since.

But headlines are not a verdict on breakfast. Strip away the launch-day frenzy and the Netflix tie-in, and what is actually sitting in that cream-labelled jar is a $12, 7.6-ounce raspberry spread that has to earn its keep on toast like anything else. So does it?

This is not a sponsored endorsement. As Ever runs no creator or commission programme, so there is nothing here to gain either way. It is simply a close look at the product on its own terms: what is in the jar, what it costs, what people who have actually tasted it think, and whether it belongs on your shopping list.

What’s actually in the jar

The ingredient list is refreshingly short: raspberries, organic cane sugar, organic lemon juice concentrate and fruit pectin: four ingredients, no preservatives, no artificial colouring. That simplicity is the point of the wider As Ever pantry line, which favours a handful of recognisable ingredients over long, additive-heavy labels.

It is worth knowing, too, that the product is not technically jam. Under FDA rules, jam must be made from at least 45 percent fruit balanced against 55 percent sugar; As Ever’s spread is formulated looser and more pourable than that standard allows, which is why the label reads “spread” rather than “jam.” Meghan has addressed the distinction herself, explaining that the fluid, drizzle-friendly texture was a deliberate choice.

That texture has divided opinion. Critics, including a widely shared Inside Edition taste test, singled out a “runny” consistency closer to a coulis than a classic preserve. Fans counter that this is exactly what makes it versatile, as good stirred into yoghurt or drizzled over a cheeseboard as spread on toast. Buyers expecting the stiff, knife-standing set of a traditional English jam should recalibrate their expectations first.

Where it began: fruit from Meghan’s own garden

The origin story is the part As Ever leans on hardest, and it holds up reasonably well under scrutiny. In her Netflix series With Love, Meghan, the Duchess explained that raspberry vines were already growing at the Montecito property when she and Prince Harry moved in, and that the abundance of fruit is what first pushed her toward jam-making. She has also traced the habit back further, noting that her grandmother made apple butter, a small thread of family history running through a very modern brand.

Home-kitchen beginnings do not necessarily mean home-kitchen production at scale; a product selling in the thousands of jars needs a commercial kitchen behind it. But the underlying claim (that the recipe started as something Meghan made for her own table before it became a business) is consistent with how she has described the brand since its original 2024 name, American Riviera Orchard, was rechristened As Ever in February 2025. For the fuller story of the brand itself, see our piece on As Ever, the Duchess of Sussex’s lifestyle brand.

The price, in plain terms

At $12 for 7.6 ounces, As Ever’s raspberry spread works out to roughly $1.58 per ounce. A standard supermarket jar of good-quality jam typically runs closer to 20-30 cents an ounce, and even a well-regarded artisan preserve rarely clears a dollar an ounce. This is a premium product by a wide margin, and the brand does not pretend otherwise: packaging, small-batch positioning and personal story are all part of what the price buys.

Whether that premium feels justified depends on what you are paying for. As a breakfast staple bought to be spread daily and replaced weekly, the maths is hard to defend. As an occasional treat, a gift, or a taste of a widely discussed cultural moment, the calculation looks rather different. Several reviewers have made exactly that distinction, calling it a fun splurge rather than a pantry regular.

What tasters actually say

Coverage of the raspberry spread has been unusually thorough for a jam, with food writers at The Kitchn, The Washington Post and Today all putting it through a proper taste test. The consensus lands in the middle. The Kitchn’s tasters described the flavour as genuinely close to fresh raspberries (sweet with a clean tartness, not cloying) and found it spread easily despite the thinner set. Today’s review, headlined with the pun “Is It My Jam?”, reached a similar verdict: a good, honest raspberry flavour let down slightly by a texture that takes adjusting to.

Not every verdict was as warm; some reviewers and a good deal of social media commentary focused less on flavour and more on value, with a small jar, a high price and a runny consistency proving an easy target for critics inclined to view the whole venture skeptically. The fairest summary across the coverage: the raspberry flavour is well liked, while texture and price are where opinion splits.

How it compares to the competition

As Ever’s most obvious comparison is King Charles’s own food venture, Duchy Originals, selling organic preserves and biscuits since 1990 and now trading as Waitrose Duchy Organic. Duchy’s jams are conventionally set, widely available in British supermarkets, and priced closer to £3-4 a jar, a reminder that royal-adjacent food branding has existed for decades before As Ever arrived; read more in our Duchy Originals deep dive.

Set against artisan British preserve makers such as Tiptree or Wilkin & Sons, whose small-batch jams also run to a few pounds and use traditional set techniques, As Ever’s spread sits in an unusual middle ground: priced like a luxury artisan product, but textured more like a fresh fruit coulis than a classic preserve. That mismatch is part of why reviews have split: tasters judging it strictly as “jam” mark it down for texture, while those judging it as a fruit spread doing a jam-adjacent job are more forgiving.

Getting hold of it in Britain

For readers this side of the Atlantic, availability is the real sticking point, not the price. As Ever ships only within the United States, with no direct route to UK customers through the official site. British buyers wanting to try it have generally turned to independent import specialists who bring in limited batches, duties included, though stock is unpredictable and sells through quickly once it lands.

As Ever runs no affiliate or creator programme of any kind, so there is no shortcut or discount code to be had here, from Court & Capital or anyone else. Anyone curious should expect UK import prices well above the $12 US sticker, and should treat it as a curiosity to sample rather than a spread to build a weekly shop around.

Is it actually worth it?

Judged purely as jam, As Ever’s raspberry spread is a fair-to-good product wearing a price tag it has not fully earned on ingredients or texture alone. Judged as what it actually is (a personal, story-led product with a flavour most tasters genuinely enjoy), it is a more reasonable proposition, particularly as an occasional treat or a gift for a royal-watcher rather than a weekly grocery habit.

Readers who enjoy tracing how royal names find their way onto British breakfast tables might also want to look at the King’s own Duchy Organic range, a longer-running example of the same idea.

Frequently asked questions

How much does As Ever raspberry jam cost?

The standard jar is $12 for 7.6 ounces on As Ever’s US website. A keepsake-packaged version and multi-jar trio bundles are also sold at higher prices for the same spread.

Is As Ever raspberry spread actually jam?

Not technically. Under FDA rules, jam must contain a set ratio of fruit to sugar and hold a firmer set; As Ever’s product is deliberately looser and more pourable, so it is labelled a “spread” rather than “jam.”

What ingredients are in As Ever’s raspberry spread?

Just four: raspberries, organic cane sugar, organic lemon juice concentrate and fruit pectin. There are no preservatives or artificial additives on the label.

Can I buy As Ever jam in the UK?

Not directly. As Ever currently ships only within the United States, so UK buyers rely on independent import retailers that bring in small, limited batches with duties already included.

Does As Ever have an affiliate or discount programme?

No. As Ever does not run a creator, affiliate or commission programme, which is why this review carries no partner links or codes. It is a straightforward, independent look at the product.

How does it compare to King Charles’s Duchy Organic jam?

Duchy Originals, founded in 1990 and now sold as Waitrose Duchy Organic, offers conventionally set preserves at a fraction of the price. As Ever sits at the opposite end: pricier, looser in texture, and built around a more personal, story-driven brand.

Where did the raspberry spread recipe come from?

Meghan has said the recipe grew out of raspberry vines already growing at her Montecito home, inspired in part by memories of her grandmother making apple butter, before the product was developed for commercial sale.

Is the raspberry spread As Ever’s best-selling product?

Yes. As Ever’s own site describes it as the brand’s best-selling favourite and its original launch product, and it remains the item most closely associated with the brand.

This review is based on As Ever’s published ingredients and pricing and on independent taste tests from The Kitchn, The Washington Post and Today, current as of September 2026. Prices, availability and shipping terms may change; check As Ever’s own website for the latest details.