The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 8 letter word TRAYBAKE
I've seen this crossword clue in Financial Times
T
R
A
Y
B
A
K
E
Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "w/sweetmea" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case w/sweetmea = traybake.The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.
What does TRAYBAKE mean?
TRAYBAKE noun- A meal or dessert baked in a tray.