BAD news for conserve connoisseurs. The Bullivant's jam drought is set to continue.

Happily, home-made jam remains on the menu. Customers can enjoy a dollop of their favourite conserve with a scone or two any time they like at the Blake Street caf.

But if you want a jam takeaway, you're out of luck. There is still no immediate prospect of jars of the stuff returning to the shelves of Bullivant Of York Tea Rooms.

The caf's regulars have been pining for the days when they could buy a fruit-packed pot to take home.

What flavours they were! Not just your common or garden raspberry, but rhubarb, raisin and orange; or gooseberry and elderflower.

Should you prefer a drop of the hard stuff, how about strawberry and Cointreau; blackberry and port; or apricot and amaretto jam? Now that would make your breakfast go with a zing.

Unhappily, however, while Bullivant's has plenty of jam it has no jars. And without them, getting the stuff home is quite tricky. Not to mention sticky.

Tea rooms director Carolyn Haynes told the Diary that her Leeds-based jam jar supplier went bust last year, and she has not yet organised a replacement.

A firm near Skipton can sort her out, but they only deliver jars by the pallet. Once she can get a day off, Carolyn plans to go there and buy a smaller number of jars (which will comply with myriad EU directives on size and seals, thanks to a recent visit by trading standards officers).

Then Carolyn will boil up a big new batch on the premises, as always with only three ingredients: fruit (often grown in her dad's garden in Ferrybridge), sugar and pectin. Oh, and maybe a drop of liquor...

Jam tomorrow? We hope so.

THIS week we reported how Texan supermodel Jerry Hall launched her hosiery range at a lingerie show in Harrogate.

Many male journalists were despatched - albeit reluctantly - to investigate this story.

After granting one reporter an in-depth interview, the former Mrs Jagger gave him a pair of her stockings as a present for his other half, signing the front of the packet. That other half is none other than our award-winning design editor Lisa Cook. So will we see her modelling the saucy legwear?

"No. I have never worn stockings," says Lisa, who confesses to being a "60-denier black opaque tights" kind of gal.

"I am going to keep them in the pack. Then they will be worth something."

Updated: 08:49 Friday, February 25, 2005