MasterChef alum questions product quality and doubts Duchess’s personal
involvement
Meghan Markle’s As Ever apricot spread may have flown off shelves, but one
expert isn’t impressed.
Donna Collins, jam specialist and MasterChef alum, has spoken out against the
Duchess of Sussex’s latest product, telling the Daily Mail she doesn’t believe
Meghan is actually behind the making of the spread.
“I don’t know who’s making her spread, but we all know it’s not Meghan,” said
Collins, founder of The Jelly Queens. “It sounds like they really don’t know
what they are doing.”
Collins didn’t stop there—she criticised the spread’s consistency, claiming
that calling it a fruit spread is a common way to rebrand a failed jam. “If I
had a jam that was too runny, I’d slap a label on it and call it a spread,”
she said. “There’s no excuse for this. It should be perfect.”
She also raised concerns about the use of conventionally grown apricots,
pointing to potential pesticide use, and questioned the addition of pectin,
which is often used to artificially thicken low-quality preserves.
Although the apricot spread sold out quickly during a recent restock, Collins
suggested that had more to do with limited supply than high demand. “Meghan
made a small batch,” she noted, casting further doubt on the product’s
success.
