A surefire way to put the lid on mouldy jam

SIR – If the Prime Minister suffers from mould on her jam (report, February 14), I suspect that she is not sterilising the lids before potting the fruits of her labours.

By boiling the lids for 10 minutes and drying carefully, I am still able to enjoy mould-free jam made five years ago on a large scale (before a yellow damson tree had to be cut down).

Tim Barnsley London SW16

SIR – My mother made all our jams and marmalades. They were stored in the attic and always had mould on them. This was removed – along with the waxed disc – and we all enjoyed them.

I was quite grown-up before I realised that mould was not inevitable; but my jam does still have mould sometimes, though that does not stop me eating it. I am rising 76 and do not appear to have suffered any harm.

Jean Ferguson-davie Lydbury North, Shropshire

SIR – Like Mrs May, I scrape the mould off jam or marmalade, as my mother did. She’s right and the food nannies are wrong. If you did eat a bit of mould it would probably be penicillin – and we know where that got us.

Sarah Purssell Marlborough, Wiltshire

SIR – For once I agree with Mrs May. If your jam has mould on top, scrape it off and carry on. If, however, the rot goes all the way through then follow the Food Standards Agency’s advice and bin it. A bit like the EU, really.

Chris Spurrier Eversley Cross, Hampshire

SIR – While Mrs May might be adept at removing mould from jam, she doesn’t seem to have the same dexterity for removing Britain from a pickle.

Tony Wolfe Penrith, Cumbria

SIR – Mrs May’s approach to jam is the reverse of her approach to Brexit.

Instead of giving us the best, she’s trying to force feed us the unpalatable bits, which are a long-term threat to our wellbeing.

Elaine Mckie Appleby, Westmorland