This week, I finally got my “replacement” apricot jam from As Ever, as well as the two bottles of orange marmalade jam I ordered in the most recent As Ever product drop. I’ve tried both flavors and I prefer the apricot, for what it’s worth, but I’m still dreaming of a raspberry restock. The most recent product drop was coordinated alongside the premiere of With Love, Meghan’s second season. It feels like the Duchess of Sussex has finally worked out the supply lines for As Ever, right? Meghan’s biggest haters have been screaming about how the most recent products haven’t sold out, but that’s a good thing – Meghan and her team have finally got enough in stock to ensure that people can buy her products whenever they want, like a real functional business. While the scarcity business model works for a time, when you’re selling jams, wine and crepe mixes, people want to buy products whenever they need/want them. It’s bad business to have a sold-out product line for months at a time.
One of the most bizarre conversations happening around As Ever is the “why doesn’t Netflix sell Meghan’s products in their Netflix shops??” Because As Ever is a stand-alone thing? Well, that answer is not good enough for the Mail, or Richard Osman and Marina Hyde.
Meghan Markle’s tie-up with Netflix to sell her jam, pancake mix and flower sprinkles is already ‘petering out’ after just seven months, it was claimed today. The Duchess of Sussex’s As Ever brand is partnered with the streaming giant but none of her products are listed on the Netflix website. Netflix is also opening its first bricks-and-mortar stores in the US later this year so fans of shows such as KPop Demon Hunters, Squid Games and Stranger Things have the chance to buy merchandise. But there are growing doubts that As Ever products will be sold on the shelves despite her formal partnership with the streamer only being announced in February, the Daily Mail understands.
Speaking on her The Rest is Entertainment podcast with Richard Osman, journalist Marina Hyde suggested that Netflix is quietly dropping Meghan’s As Ever.
‘Meghan’s jam is supposedly for sale in the Netflix store. But they don’t even have a tab for her show’, she said. ‘She has gone into a product partnership with them but I’m afraid that will just peter out’.
It came after Meghan and Harry agreed a new TV deal with Netflix but experts said it was a ‘downgrade’ on their previous $100million contract, marking a loosening of ties between them. Her second season of With Love Meghan is only at 136 in the Netflix chart, under two weeks after its release. And it also appears that the Duchess of Sussex, 44, has quietly shut down her ShopMy website, which sold items from £20 ($26) grey t-shirts to £1,600 ($2,000) silk gowns.
The As Ever range was widely expected to be featured in the Philadelphia and Dallas branches of Netflix House, the streaming giant’s first physical stores. But a Netflix source has insisted that no final decisions had yet been made on any of the products that will be on the shelves later this year.
It’s surprising that no one has a real explanation for why Meghan’s ShopMy page is blank right now. While the Mail and other tabloids have screamed about it all week, no one has an actual Sussex source explaining what Meghan is doing there. I suspect that it’s not a bad thing, and I also suspect that Meghan is not shutting down her ShopMy completely. But we’ll see. As for Marina Hyde and Richard Osman’s pocketwatching and gossip-mongering… lmao. They can’t cry about “Netflix is cutting their ties with the Sussexes” anymore, so now it’s “Netflix is cutting their ties with As Ever!” Girl, why?? Netflix suddenly doesn’t like to make money?
Photos courtesy of As Ever’s IG.
here’s my thought – the holiday episode and season 3 of WLM will feature more As ever products prominently and those will be the ones that netflix sells. Right now I think we saw the flower sprinkles and that’s been it in her show? Maybe the shortbread cookies? So I think future seasons will more prominently feature the products and those will be what Netflix sells.
We don’t know the exact timeline here either – Meghan said that Netflix partnered with her on As Ever and that meant she could scale up (or whatever specific wording she used) but she didn’t say if that was before or after the first two seasons were filmed. If it was after (maybe after someone at Netflix thought “hey there is a big opportunity here”) that could explain the lack of product placement.
like if Meghan is coming out with a sparkling wine I expect that to be featured in the holiday special.
anyway, bottom line is that As ever is a success and no one knows what Netflix is doing.
The series were filmed last year AsEver launched this April so most of the products were probably not ready at time of filming. AsEver has it’s own shop so doesn’t need to sell on the Netflix website
I agree that the xmas special will be tied to some new products. I would think the special will air around US thanksgiving (I’m not American but that’s around the time I start getting to Xmas decorating etc) which gives time to ship products for the holidays. They are so focussed on jam and flower sprinkles that they are missing what Meghan is building here. I can’t remember what interview Meghan said that she and Netflix had a 5-7 year plan for the company. They are just getting started.
I didn’t look at ShopMy but perhaps a lot of the items on there related to Season 1 of WLM and she might want the items to just be more “current” ones? Meghan “supports” so many brands unofficially just by wearing or using things, it must be difficult to decide what to feature. And there are plenty of bloggers who benefit from links.
My guess would be that she has a clothing deal/investment in the offing and her team wiped the ShopMy because she’ll be repping a brand exclusively. Just a guess.
ohhhhh that’s a good guess.
Having been one of the shoppers to actually buy stuff from Meghan’s (or As Ever?) Instagram ShopMylinks, I haven’t been totally surprised Meghan pulled back on ShopMy links. She needed to focus on right-sizing inventory for As Ever. Rather endearingly, it seems she had no true realization of the Meghan effect 😍
What I have been surprised by is how many people / websites are set up to capitalize from Meghan’s ShopMy links with $0 going to Meghan. I only did Instagram to follow As Ever / Meghan and frequently don’t log on. So I used generic web search to find her ShopMy info – stunning how much derivative content was out there about her ShopMy listings. T&C and other magazine articles, plus ‘WhatMeghanWore’ and a whole bunch of new hangers on to get Meghan table scraps, or even grab food before it hits Meghan’s table. Since she’s a ShopMy investor, she may be involved in rethinking that business model to ensure the influencers on there get all the ShopMy $ they’ve engendered, while eliminating, or at least limiting, the unethical $grab. Or she may be totally rethinking her investment and/or involvement. Either way, I’m making sure my $ follow the proper chain to land in Meghan’s pocket, not that of her haters or the “I love Meghan, BUT” crew, etc.
What would they know? Neither of them are journalists. Marina has a column in the Guardian and Richard writes books and has tv show. Netflix has a contract with Meghan why would they break it? Marina Hyde is an extremely weird person why is she so obsessed with AsEver and Meghan?
Richard Osman has become such a disappointment. I cancelled my preorder for this next TMC book. As someone who’s book was just adapted to a movie on Netflix he needs to keep his f@cking mouth shut.
Right? And isn’t the movie coming out soon? Like, why isn’t he happy and doing promotion for his own work instead of whining about someone he doesn’t know and has never met. It’s bizarre. And vile.
But I’m sure the rats will happily jump to Netflix project vs Netflix project. It’s predictable and obnoxious.
The movie has been out for a week or so.
Agreed, he’s such a disappointment. I really enjoyed the books.
I see the two evils have joined forces together. Maybe they’re having an affair together, united by their hate for Meghan.
If these people paid even 1/100th of the attention that they pay to Meghan to the BRF, things would be so different my God. Also isn’t Marina Hyde a guardian writer and isn’t Richard Osman a book author? How on earth is this their wheelhouse? Good Lord the UK will clearly be screaming crying and throwing up over Meghan for time immemorial which is by turns funny, exhausting but honestly mostly sad and scary.
I lump all those gutter rats in the same basket. Meghan hatred keeps them employed and busy. Without her they have nothing.
These “sources” do not speak for Netflix.
I got my apricot jam 2 days ago and I it is delicious.
I got my crepes, cookies with flower sprinkles, and the hibiscus and lemon ginger teas today. I can’t wait to make the crepes this weekend. Whatever product Meghan puts out, I will buy.
I’m enjoying the apricot. Raspberry is still number one but I’m surprised by how much I like the apricot. I’d buy them both again and definitely give as gifts. Orange marmalade is still on its way so can’t speak to that one yet. I think it would be cute if her stuff was in the Netflix store but it’s also her own company. In her most recent interview, Meghan said they the goal was to have her products to be in stores and that meant thinking about which stores would be the best fit for her products. I don’t think Hyde or Osman know a thing. They’re just whiffing with the usual snark.
If Meghan’s goal is to have her products in stores, I wonder if something like Williams Sonoma — might be a good fit?
I got my apricot spread — yum! — and my marmalade is scheduled to come next week. As a treat, I got a bit of Delice de Bourgogne (my favorite cheese) to go with the spread for a delicious snack. I’m looking forward to the marmalade, and plan to experiment with it — since the ingredients seem similar to those in citron tea. In these trying times, it’s nice to have sweet packages to look forward to.
Williams-Sonoma was one I thought of too. My dream would be that there would a drop of the raspberry or even the apricot well before Christmas so I could give it as gifts to my neighbors. But since they’re seasonal, I’m not sure if that will happen. I’ll have to try the marmalade first before considering giving it as a gift and my doesn’t get here till next week.
i like the apricot a lot. the marmalade is very sweet to me – but I made the mistake of having some over ice cream and that was just too much sweetness. my 10 year old just likes it with toast (he came home from school yesterday and asked if he could make a snack and I said sure and next thing I know he’s digging out the marmalade from the fridge and was like “what? we like Meghan!” and he loves the show lol.) so its very good I just need to figure out the best way to have it. I’m going to try that salad recipe from the episode with Samin.
Thanks for describing your take— and your son’s!— on the marmalade Becks1. I was hoping that it wouldn’t be too sweet for my tastes. Instead of starting with toast or crumpets or something like that, maybe I’ll invest in the “good” plain yogurt and also try it as a tea. I was wondering about something like roast duck as well. This could be fun! I ordered 3 jars — so it sounds like two friends might be getting nicely sweet hostess gifts.
yes I think it could be really good on roasted meats and I’m even just going to try plain sourdough. its very good though, just a little too sweet.
but also, I cant tell you the last time I had orange marmalade so no clue if thats the norm lol.
I don’t think I’ve ever actually had orange marmalade. But I’m not a fan of too sweet so we’ll see. What I’ve liked about the apricot and raspberry has been that citrus zing.
@Becks1
I have always liked sweet-orange marmalade, as opposed to the much more bitter style favored in the UK.
Liked it, not loved it. The flavor is usually pleasant, but a bit one-note, and it’s hard to find in lower-sugar versions.
My favorites have been low-sugar black raspberry and apricot, with no artificial sweeteners. Stevia is ok, but I’m happier without that too.
So with As ever, I missed the raspberry, got my apricot order sadly refunded, and only bought one jar of the marmalade, more to be supportive than because I thought I’d love it.
Well, it arrived a few days ago, and yesterday I finally tried it.
Today I bought three more jars. It may not be enough.
My first taste popped my eyes wide open. Such complexity! Such a lovely flavor, not bitter at all but with such forward citrus notes! And it’s a good carb point, too — being a spread, it’s naturally lower in sugar than a jelly or a jam or traditional marmalade.
My first time trying it was on a sandwich, in place of mayo & mustard. It was sliced chicken and Swiss cheese. Absolutely yummy. Next I’m going to try it on crackers with my favorite Cheddar Gruyer.
I’m not going to open the Many arrived, free Apricot just yet. Saving it to savor.
I’m in such suspense of getting this dang marmalade now to try it out.
@Jais — can’t wait to hear how you like the marmalade 😊
🍊🍯🧡🧡🧡🏵🌿
I purchased 6 jars of the orange marmalade (missed out on the raspberry and apricot!) Received it 2 days ago. Unfortunately one of the jars had a loose lid and leaked over a few of the others. I took a photo and sent it to the As Ever email address. Within 2″ I had a response that it was received and being checked out, and within 2 hours had an email asking if I preferred a replacement jar or a refund. I opted for the refund, and I got a notification promptly that it was in progress. I was most impressed with the service of her business. I did answer a later survey asking how I rated my issue, which I did give 5 stars. I have not sampled it yet, and I did dispose of the leaked jar without trying a taste–but saved the cute container of course!
I also purchased 6 bottles of wine. Shared and enjoyed one with a friend over lunch at my house. She gladly accepted one as a gift when she left!
I got my marmalade yesterday but haven’t tried it yet. I got a free, replacement apricot, too, and I’m surprised. My apricot order was filled…why did I get an extra??? Thrilled, though, because I loved it.
They have no idea what Netflix will do or not do. They have no sources. All they have are some made up ideas that they would like to see happen. Cry harder!
I haven’t opened the orange marmalade yet but I loved the apricot. Also – the wine…OMG. I am NOT a rose drinker but I have been drinking the cr@p out of it. It is the best rose I have ever had in my life. No joke! She did amazing!! As always!
Based on IG shares, she’s sending out gifts that include some pink/peach looking baking dishes. Why would they be doing that if they weren’t thinking long-term?
Totally! the BRF is allergic to common sense
I drank the rose with sharp white cheddar and was very happy. And Indian food. And was also very happy.
The rosé is really good and has enough body to pair really well with food. It’s great with spicy food. I have both the 2023 and 2024. They’re both incredibly good but the 2024 has a little less bite due to the lower alcohol content. I was wine tasting this weekend and tried a $45 rosé. It was good but not better.
I did like the ’23 with that bite. I still like the ’24 though and it was easier for a summer chill drink.
I saw marina hyde make that rude comment on that YouTube podcast. She frequently likes to make digs at Meghan and downplay her efforts even when the topic isn’t about her.
That’s exactly what happened here. There was a question about some cups on a Netflix show and it seems she HAD to insert Meghan somehow.
The truth is she knows nothing about Meghan and Netflix’s plans. Just like she was wrong about the deal ending and she is the one that started that whole’oh Netflix only wants them for a divorce interview’ that gets thrown around by naysayers
Really tempted to buy another six bottles of the rose, it is that good.
We usually gift wine for Christmas so think I’ll get a case and make it my gifting wine this year.
I just came to say i too am awaiting a raspberry re-stock.
My orange marmalade came this week, haven’t tried it yet. I like the apricot, but i LOVE the raspberry. and my jar is empty.
Hope she restocks it before next spring.
The Duchess’ haters make me think about the stuff black women are put through that white women are not.
Yes, our society hates all women, but racism is its own giant, heavy thing on top of what every woman has to deal with. And it sucks.
The bar is sky high- the show didn’t hit the top 10 in the first week -TOTAL FAILURE!!!
While a white man would be lauded for the same outcome.
Not to overshare, but my mental health is having a difficult week, and With Love, Meghan is exactly the energy my nervous system needs.
That show is wholesome, earnest, funny, aesthetically gorgeous, and i enjoy that if you want to learn simple cooking things you totally can- or like me, you can just re-watch her wrapping gifts for Tan and his family for awhile. It eases my anxiety, and don’t we all need that?
me too! I love the wrapping and flower arranging sections more than the cooking. I can already cook to a decent standard but the way she makes everything beautiful for the sake of it soothes me. and the landscape looks so beautiful. it really helps to watch a couple of episodes at the end of the day. I also have a note ongoing of things she has that I want to buy. such great ideas and really mentally uplifting.
hand frother!! also floral frog (from season 1)
Sending you love, ariel.
“…racism is its own giant, heavy thing on top of what every woman has to deal with.”
I hear you @ariel, and yes, it sucks. Reading your words, I actually felt a heaviness in my chest. The heaviness of racism is probably always there to some degree — and watching progress being gleefully destroyed has been stressful in ways that I haven’t fully acknowledged, even to myself.
@ariel: Sending good wishes your way!
The site does say the raspberry spread is “coming soon” but I don’t know how long it has said that.
“Coming soon” for the raspberry has been there a long time! Possibly around or even before the second product drop that had the apricot spread.
It has said that for since at least the first wine drop.
I occasionally go on the site, hopeful for a surprise restock- which is silly, because i get an email when a product drops.
But holy crap that is the best jam/preserves/spread i have ever had. And i want more.
Influencers are now receiving kitchen wares from Meghan As Ever. As seen on tic tok which are very lovely. Those I think will be sold on as ever as well as in the netflix store.
I to long for the raspberry jam and the website says its coming soon so I keep waiting lol.
I’m always amused at how the British media always has to redefine words in order to make Harry and Meghan look bad. In the next year or two As Ever is going to officially be a multimillion dollar company and the British media will call it a failure because its not a multibillion dollar company.
On the Netflix Tudum page that has the season 2 recipes there’s an article about As Ever with links to the site and products. Granted, it’s not the most obvious way to get to As Ever, but there’s the site itself and a large and growing data base of email addresses for the company to reach out. I got a nice email the other day with a recipe that uses the orange marmalade.
As for the two dolts in this article – it’s more lather, rinse, repeat.
I know you are writing about the tabloids’s ongoing derangement, but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to second guess Meghan’s comms team on why they are not defending her against their absurd and insincere speculation about the Netflix deal. From day one the Sussexes have publicly said they would not be engaging with the tabs. So when they do not, it is not a result of lack of thought or energy or insight… it is because they are sticking with a strategy of non engagement. It makes sense, so don’t second guess them. They know what they’re doing.
These so-called news sources were so wrong on everything Netflix related with the Sussexes. Not only that but they don’t listen to Meghan’s actual words when discussing her brand and future plans. She gave two recent interviews with Emma Grede and Bloomberg, yet they still make up whole scenarios instead of just listening to her.
I think Meghan is releasing a cookware line because I just saw several people opening packages from her with As Ever products and baking sets. They’re properly revamping her shopmy list and shut down the site until she’s ready to relaunch. Also, she said in her latest podcast interviews that Netflix is just a partner and she’s working towards a distribution deal that will have As Ever being available in multiple chain stores. I don’t think Meghan realized how powerful and lucrative her brand is until this year.
I just tried the orange marmalade this morning over Greek yogurt. Honestly, the best marmalade I’ve ever had. So delicious, so flavorful. It was not overly sweet for me, especially on yogurt. I’m so glad I can order more, and I look forward to getting raspberry and apricot which I missed the on first two drops.
I have a jar of it. I want to try the salad dressing that uses it. Not generally a marmalade person but my FIL loves it so I’m going to get him a couple jars.
I’ve legit never had marmalade that I can remember so I’m intrigued to try it.
So far the spreads have not been sickly sweet, which allows the fruit to shine. I’m hoping the marmalade is the same, because generally I dislike marmalade because it’s very sweet.
The British press’ obssession with Meghan is unhinged.