Well, who'd 'a' thought it? Mrs May and I have something in common. Last week it was reported that she scraped the mould from the top of her jam and ate the rest. Well I did that too. Just after the New Year. 

One of my jars of home made apple jam had developed a thin layer of mould. All the others were still OK. It was just the one, but I'd opened it, or rather my daughter's Californian boy friend had opened it. Judging by the howl of disgust and look of bemusement I don't think they must get much mould in California. 

"It's just a bit of mould," I said "Scrape it off, it'll be OK."

"No way" he said reaching for and opening another jar.

So I took the jar and removed the mould and a good three centimetres of jam from below it and then stirred a large dollop from the remaining good looking stuff into my healthy, plain, live bio yogurt thus rendering it calorie and sugar heavy. Ah well, it was still just about Christmas and we hadn't had any chocolates or cakes or trifle.

Over the next few weeks I finished the jar.

The experts are divided but it seems that by removing a good portion of the clean jam below the mouldy layer I did the right thing and it was unlikely to have still contained mould spores.

It tasted just as good as the other jars and it doesn't seem to have done me any harm. However, I hope the advice from Mrs May isn't an indication that she is delivering a Brexit to honour the will of people who wish to eat mouldy jam. I think we can aspire to fresh, non-mouldy jam.