AN entrepreneur who appeared on Dragons' Den with her sugar-free jam has told how the show has helped her already-growing business.

Rachel Kettlewell, from Hawes in Wensleydale, appeared on the BBC TV show on July 1 to present her sugar-free jam alternative.

The company, Fearne and Rosie, named after her two children, offers more fruit and less sugar, and is now making honeys and other spreads.

Although the jam-maker secured a deal with Tej Lalvani during the Dragons' Den episode, Mrs Kettlewell later issued an update on Facebook declaring that she would not be going ahead with the deal.

Months later and Mrs Kettlewell’s business is still growing with “some big launches” coming up in January next year.

She said that being on Dragons' Den has helped a business “that was already growing exponentially year on year and helped it grow even more".

“It’s just been great really, ever since the episode came out in July, we are still getting messages from new people saying they’ve just seen the episode," she said.

Her success is "being driven by jams and spreads being one of the fastest growing categories in total grocery", said Mrs Kettlewell.

“It’s had about 22 per cent growth across the year. We are a healthier choice for families, as well as building awareness for a healthy start to the day."

The Yorkshire Dales jam-maker also explained that the TV show helped her with the administration side of the business.

She said: “It taught me a lot as a founder about the processes around building a business so that I’m more confident than I would have been.

“The paperwork and admin side of going on the show before and afterwards has helped shape me in the way I run the business.”

Fearne and Rosie has also been growing “massively” online, according to Mrs Kettlewell, and with the support of supermarket chains such as Morrisons and Ocado, the business is gaining a lot of local traction.

Fearne and Rosie is currently looking for investors, with more information on the company website.

With the name of business becoming more well know, Mrs Kettlewell said the children's awareness of the jam-making operation is growing.

She said: “Fearne and Rosie and are asking about it a lot more, they’re only really little but they’re getting more aware of it and they can spot their jams when we’re out and about, they tell their friends about it so that’s good.”