Latest news with #RaspberrySpread
Daily Mirror
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Meghan Markle could face 'unlikely rival' as TV star makes huge career change
Penny Lancaster, who is married to rock legend Rod Stewart, recently launched a new career venture - and one journalist believes she could soon rival Meghan Markle Penny Lancaster could reportedly rival Meghan Markle 's lifestyle brand if she chooses to fully commit to a new business endeavour. The former model, who is married to singer Sir Rod Stewart, revealed recently that she has started producing a product initially made for her family, now sharing it with friends as well. A recent article compared the 54-year-old to the Duchess of Sussex, who recently entered the business world with her lifestyle brand, As Ever. Writing in the Mail on Sunday, it was stated that Penny is "giving Meghan's As Ever brand a run for its money" with her line of honey, coinciding with reports that Meghan is trying to make a splash with her Raspberry Spread. While speaking at the Chelsea Flower Show, the Loose Women star mentioned that she had previously been producing the item solely for her family, but is now sharing it with friends. Harriet also disclosed that Penny began her unusual venture with a few beehives at her mansion, reports Glasgow Live. Beyond honey, the Duchess sells various food products on her website, including Herbal Lemon Ginger Tea and a Shortbread Cookie Mix with Flower Sprinklers. Nevertheless, one particular product might signal an emerging rivalry. For $28, customers can sample Meghan's Limited-Edition Wildflower Honey with Honeycomb on the As Ever website, described as being "inspired by Meghan's own appreciation" of the "art of harvesting" at her California home in Montecito. It now seems that Penny Lancaster could challenge Meghan Markle in the world of lifestyle brands if she decides to take her new venture a step further. In the world of celebrity updates, Penny recently took to Instagram to express her immense pride in her husband, a true music icon, as they celebrate an impressive 18 years of marriage. Accompanied by a love heart emoji and a congratulatory banner, Penny couldn't hide her admiration for the 80 year old rock star: "So proud of my man - lifetime achievement award @amas." The photo shows Rod looking dapper in a black suit with a crisp white shirt. The rock sensation has been honoured with the American Music Awards' lifetime achievement award, which was presented by five of his children in a touching moment. Addressing the audience, Rod expressed his surprise and delight: "I'm absolutely flabbergasted. I didn't know they were here - my children." He proceeded to thank his fellow musicians and reminisced about his youthful passion for simply wanting to sing—not for fame or fortune. Rod humbly said: "That's all I wanted to do. I didn't want to be rich or famous. And here I am, a few years later, picking up this wonderful award." Renowned for chart-toppers like 'Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? ' and 'Maggie May', the legendary singer has amassed over 120 million album sales globally, with numerous albums reaching the Billboard 200's top spots. Among other headline-grabbers of the evening were Eminem who bagged Favourite Male Hip Hop Artist, and Billie Eilish who triumphed as Artist of the Year.
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle's As Ever reviews have been brutal. Here's what we thought after our jam and tea taste test.
After a royally long wait, I've finally tasted Meghan Markle's jam. The Duchess of Sussex's As Ever product launch sold out in under an hour when it dropped on April 2, but I made it my job — which it is — to get my commoner paws on the Raspberry Spread for a taste test. For good measure, I scooped up her Herbal Hibiscus Tea, Herbal Peppermint Tea and Flower Sprinkles, which — if I learned one thing from With Love, Meghan — can go atop anything. The package was delivered quickly — take that, 'porch pirates' — in an innocuous white box that could have been anything … until you spot the 'Open with care' label in calligraphy font that screams Meghan Sussex. It also has the (allegedly lifted) As Ever logo. Inside the box, there was a note from 'Meghan' — not 'Meg,' as her friends call her — telling me to enjoy, and the products wrapped in the biodegradable packing peanuts and tissue paper that gave her sleepless nights. Price list: Raspberry Spread in Keepsake Packaging, $14 Flower Sprinkles, $15 Hibiscus and Peppermint Tea, $12 each At first look, the 7.6 oz jar of preserves (It's technically not jam. Here's the difference, but we'll call it what we want, having waited a year for it.) seems small, but probably because it sits in the larger 'elegant keepsake packaging,' which is how the tube it comes in is described on the website. Yes, I spent $5 extra for a cardboard container with a ribbon poking up from the top like Alfalfa that's already in my recycling bin. After hearing about the jam for over a year — during which the Montecito, Calif.-inspired lifestyle brand underwent a name change (bye, American Riviera Orchard) — and watching Markle's celebrity friends post about it on Insta-brag, I couldn't wait to dig in with a few of my closest coworkers. We heard it was underwhelming and worse, but we went in with open minds and open taste buds. And yet … we were disappointed as well. The jam has been called 'runny' — the As Ever description says it's supposed to be (it's a 'fluid texture so it can be drizzled, spread, poured') — and that was a complaint in our Yahoo kitchen taste test, but it went beyond that. 'Bad taste, bad texture, bad memory,' said one staffer. The hint of lemon that the jam boasts wasn't a good thing. 'It's acidic,' said someone else. 'Did we get a bad batch?' asked another person. In addition to having crackers and bread for our jam party, we had brie, and some people said they liked it atop the cheese but wouldn't want it alone. The most positive review was someone saying, 'It's fine,' which is not the kind of thing you'd include in As Ever marketing materials: Raspberry Preserves that taste … fine. The flower sprinkles were a withering disappointment too. On Markle's Netflix show, she put them on everything — including kids' peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — so we thought they had to be good. After all, kids are famously picky eaters. 'It's like cardboard soaked in perfume,' said one editor. Another compared it to 'hard grass.' 'It's like I ate potpourri by accident,' said a third person. We had sprinkled the edible flowers on white grocery store cake, and the consensus was: $7 Wegmans cake, good. $15 As Ever sprinkles, bad. For what it's worth, they looked pretty. But what does that mean if they're not palatable? The one thing people didn't complain about was the tea. But it was basic — someone compared it to Tazo — as if it could have been any tea bag dropped into a cup of hot water. While the tea comes in a cute tin, the bags have no branding. The bag string is anchored with a basic white paper tab — like they forgot to print the As Ever logo on it. That was kind of the thing with the entire taste test. When you're ordering from Markle's brand, there's the idea that you're buying into what you think will be a royal experience. Or, at the very least, an A-list experience. You want the products to be regal or special or … simply not taste like cardboard or potpourri. So, after refreshing my computer approximately 576 times to be able to buy these things the moment they went on sale, and being excited to try them and making a moment of it, it didn't feel like I was getting the royal treatment in any way. It felt more like my money was going toward the mortgage payment on Markle and Prince Harry's $14.65 million home. And that was disappointing, as ever.
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meghan Markle's As Ever reviews have been brutal. Here's what we thought after our jam and tea taste test.
After a royally long wait, I've finally tasted Meghan Markle's jam. The Duchess of Sussex's As Ever product launch sold out in under an hour when it dropped on April 2, but I made it my job — which it is — to get my commoner paws on the Raspberry Spread for a taste test. For good measure, I scooped up her Herbal Hibiscus Tea, Herbal Peppermint Tea and Flower Sprinkles, which — if I learned one thing from With Love, Meghan — can go atop anything. The package was delivered quickly — take that, 'porch pirates' — in an innocuous white box that could have been anything … until you spot the 'Open with care' label in calligraphy font that screams Meghan Sussex. It also has the (allegedly lifted) As Ever logo. Inside the box, there was a note from 'Meghan' — not 'Meg,' as her friends call her — telling me to enjoy, and the products wrapped in the biodegradable packing peanuts and tissue paper that gave her sleepless nights. Price list: Raspberry Spread in Keepsake Packaging, $14 Flower Sprinkles, $15 Hibiscus and Peppermint Tea, $12 each At first look, the 7.6 oz jar of preserves (It's technically not jam. Here's the difference, but we'll call it what we want, having waited a year for it.) seems small, but probably because it sits in the larger 'elegant keepsake packaging,' which is how the tube it comes in is described on the website. Yes, I spent $5 extra for a cardboard container with a ribbon poking up from the top like Alfalfa that's already in my recycling bin. After hearing about the jam for over a year — during which the Montecito, Calif.-inspired lifestyle brand underwent a name change (bye, American Riviera Orchard) — and watching Markle's celebrity friends post about it on Insta-brag, I couldn't wait to dig in with a few of my closest coworkers. We heard it was underwhelming and worse, but we went in with open minds and open taste buds. And yet … we were disappointed as well. The jam has been called 'runny' — the As Ever description says it's supposed to be (it's a 'fluid texture so it can be drizzled, spread, poured') — and that was a complaint in our Yahoo kitchen taste test, but it went beyond that. 'Bad taste, bad texture, bad memory,' said one staffer. The hint of lemon that the jam boasts wasn't a good thing. 'It's acidic,' said someone else. 'Did we get a bad batch?' asked another person. In addition to having crackers and bread for our jam party, we had brie, and some people said they liked it atop the cheese but wouldn't want it alone. The most positive review was someone saying, 'It's fine,' which is not the kind of thing you'd include in As Ever marketing materials: Raspberry Preserves that taste … fine. The flower sprinkles were a withering disappointment too. On Markle's Netflix show, she put them on everything — including kids' peanut butter and jelly sandwiches — so we thought they had to be good. After all, kids are famously picky eaters. 'It's like cardboard soaked in perfume,' said one editor. Another compared it to 'hard grass.' 'It's like I ate potpourri by accident,' said a third person. We had sprinkled the edible flowers on white grocery store cake, and the consensus was: $7 Wegmans cake, good. $15 As Ever sprinkles, bad. For what it's worth, they looked pretty. But what does that mean if they're not palatable? The one thing people didn't complain about was the tea. But it was basic — someone compared it to Tazo — as if it could have been any tea bag dropped into a cup of hot water. While the tea comes in a cute tin, the bags have no branding. The bag string is anchored with a basic white paper tab — like they forgot to print the As Ever logo on it. That was kind of the thing with the entire taste test. When you're ordering from Markle's brand, there's the idea that you're buying into what you think will be a royal experience. Or, at the very least, an A-list experience. You want the products to be regal or special or … simply not taste like cardboard or potpourri. So, after refreshing my computer approximately 576 times to be able to buy these things the moment they went on sale, and being excited to try them and making a moment of it, it didn't feel like I was getting the royal treatment in any way. It felt more like my money was going toward the mortgage payment on Markle and Prince Harry's $14.65 million home. And that was disappointing, as ever.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Meghan's As Ever launch was Glastonbury Festival for $14 'jam'
While the global markets brace for Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariff doom, for the Sussex Squad April 2 will go down in history for the launch of Meghan Markle's (sorry, Sussex's) official rollout of her lifestyle brand As Ever. It was a online shopping frenzy comparable to the annual Glastonbury Festival ticket scrum. By the time I logged in, all the $15 Flower Sprinkles and $28 Limited-Edition Wildflower Honey With Honeycomb had been snapped up. I raced to shove the Raspberry Spread With Keepsake Packaging ($14) in my cart, only to be thwarted by the sad reality that As Ever only ships to the United States. By the time I had dug out one of my American relatives' address that, too, was sold out. Probably for the best. I doubt I could afford the multiple postage costs even before the trade wars start in earnest. Predictably, the British press is collectively losing its mind over the prices. But she's charging $9 (£6.94) for the Raspberry Spread (215g) versus King Charles' own Highgrove Organic Strawberry Preserve with Marc de Champagne (350g) is £6.95. Plus food in America is, like, expensive. You could easily drop that amount on a burrito or a couple of takeaway coffees. It's clearly an achievable price point for As Ever, as people didn't hesitate to buy it en masse within the hour. The Duchess of Sussex didn't even have to do a vast amount of marketing. There was a newsletter yesterday teasing that *something* might be coming — and to remind us that you can wash out a jam jar and use it again (groundbreaking). A couple of Instagram posts. Then an exclusive interview with The New York Times dropped, the website opened, and the fans rushed in. There has been some grumbling online that the puff piece in the NYT wasn't puffy enough. Sure, it dared mention the previous Netflix flops and Meghan's sorrow that regulations insisted her products be labelled spreads, not jams. But it's in the public interest to know that chez Meghan has a freezer stuffed with tater tots (basically hash browns and thus relatable) and that at least some heirs to the throne are getting chicken nuggets for tea. In all seriousness, it also highlighted the vitriol directed at Meghan for being a black woman living a soft life with expensive Le Creuset pans. With Love, Meghan may not have been everyone's cup of tea, but it's demonstrated that she can sell out anything she wears and influence people everywhere to make her one-pot pasta. The Duchess wants very much to be an entrepreneur, and she has shown that she's good business. It is, however, far too early to call As Ever an unmitigated success. As celebrity brand-watchers know, selling out is the easy part. Now the shipping has to happen fast and with no mistakes, or people will be quick to complain. And those products have to be perfect, from the unboxing to the eating. Remember the cautionary tale of Molly-Mae Hague and her £140 Maebe blazer backlash. Her debut collection sold out in 24 hot minutes, but the shoddy construction of its flagship piece cost her brand an estimated £500,000 to fix. Although if anyone takes to TikTok to claim the jam is bland or the flower petals stale, Meghan can always turn to her good friend Gwyneth Paltrow. After all, her brand Goop not only survived but thrived in the wake of the exploding vagina-scented candle fiasco. As ever, the proof will be in the pudding. Literally, in this case.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
MEGHAN, DUCHESS OF SUSSEX ANNOUNCES AS EVER'S FIRST COLLECTION WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE TODAY
After much anticipation, As ever's first seasonal drop will be available today for purchase at LOS ANGELES, April 2, 2025 /CNW/ -- Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, is proud to announce that the first collection of eight signature products will be available for purchase, beginning today. Developed in partnership with Netflix's CPG division, this collection offers a glimpse into Meghan's approach to elevated, everyday living and is inspired by her long-lasting love of cooking, entertaining, and hostessing with ease. Following the debut of Netflix's "With Love, Meghan", As ever brings to life the staples Meghan turns to time and again in her own kitchen and daily life. Designed to infuse warmth, beauty, and intention into daily rituals, this collection marks the beginning of a brand that will continue to evolve with new seasonal offerings inspired by Meghan's personal essence. As ever will release new product collections seasonally. Available today on the following products will be available to ship nationwide across all 50 states with plans to expand globally: DOWNLOAD HI-RES IMAGE HERE Raspberry Spread in Keepsake Packaging - The heart of the collection, and where it all began. This luscious, fruit-forward spread is housed in elegant keepsake packaging designed to be repurposed long after the last spoonful. SRP: $14 [Raspberry Spread without Keepsake Packaging available soon, SRP: $9] Herbal Lemon Ginger Tea - A modern take on a classic, this bright and warming infusion balances zesty flavor with a touch of spicy ginger, creating the perfect morning ritual. SRP: $12 Herbal Peppermint Tea - A crisp and refreshing blend of pure peppermint, this tea offers the perfect moment of peace, whether sipped hot or iced. SRP: $12 Herbal Hibiscus Tea - Vibrant and floral, this lively, tangy brew delivers a naturally sweet finish, especially delightful with a drizzle of honey. SRP: $12 Flower Sprinkles - A touch of edible artistry. Elevate any dish with these delicate, colorful florals—turning omelettes into masterpieces, salads into statements, and mealtime into moments of joy. SRP: $15 Crepe Mix - Elegance made effortless. This light, airy mix delivers delicate crepes that are as perfect for a solo gourmet indulgence as they are for a cozy family breakfast. SRP: $14 Shortbread Cookie Mix with Flower Sprinkles Included - A flavorful, crumbly delight with a whimsical floral twist. Enjoy them as-is, crumble them over ice cream, or use them as the perfect base for your favorite spreads. SRP: $14 Limited-Edition Wildflower Honey with Honeycomb - A luxurious, drizzle-worthy indulgence with tasting notes of wildflowers, finished with a stunning wedge of honeycomb. Elevate everything from yogurt and tea to roasted salmon and charcuterie spreads. Supplies are limited. SRP: $28 As ever is also pleased to announce the addition of Melissa Kalimov as Chief Operating Officer. Melissa brings over 15 years of experience in scaling brands, go-to-market execution, and strategic leadership for companies of all stages, from multinational corporations like Gap, Inc., to small startups that she has co-founded and led. About As ever:As ever, a premium lifestyle brand by Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, offers beautifully crafted products designed to elevate everyday moments. Available exclusively on As ever is available for purchase nationwide across all 50 states. With a dedication to timeless design and curated craftsmanship, the brand will continue to expand seasonally, introducing new products that encourage a joyful and intentional way of living. Photo - - View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE As ever View original content to download multimedia:
