Let’s get this out of the way. Meghan Markle doesn’t talk about the royal family in With Love, Meghan. In fact, she barely talks about her time in England at all. In the first episode, she shows a picture of her wedding cake as she bakes her own, and in another, she mentions how her dog Guy lived with her in California, Canada, and the United Kingdom. But that’s about it. If you are looking for tea about the British monarchy, you won’t find it here.
You will, however, get sun tea. Because that’s just one of the many, many things Markle makes from a Montecito kitchen throughout her new Netflix series. (“A” is important here—the home With Love, Meghan is filmed in isn’t the one she actually lives in the central California coast town.) She also makes focaccia, tomato quiche, a rainbow-shaped fruit arrangement, a crudité platter, skillet spaghetti, a naked cake, and about two dozen more dishes that I won’t name because this list is already too long. There are also tutorials on how to make a balloon arch, candles, flower arranging, and gift bags for a child’s party.
Much of this Meghan does while in conversation with friends, like Mindy Kaling or her Suits co-star Abigail Spencer. Other times, she does it with professionals like chef Roy Choi or the founder of the farm-to-table movement Alice Waters. Polite chatter occurs.
As do instructions. “I think the most important thing when I’m thinking about putting a cheese or charcuterie board together is finding different layers, textures, and balance. So salty, sweet, umami flavors,” she says in episode four. Episode five, meanwhile, focuses on floral arranging. “Even if you are only going to do two variations of flowers, pick two that have similar tones but different shapes,” she says. Unlike her Oprah interview, Harry Meghan, or Spare, in With Love, Meghan, there are no bombshell reveals or accusations. There are, however, a lot of raspberry preserves.
Meghan Markle—or Meghan Sussex, as she tells Kaling she prefers to be called—is clearly hoping to turn a new, non-controversial chapter in a book filled with quite a few.
Before the royal family, Markle ran a lifestyle blog, The Tig, on the side while acting on the show Suits. An abbreviation of her favorite wine (tignanello) it featured travel guides to Lisbon and Montreal, recipes for açai bowls, entertaining tips, and beauty gift guides. In April 2017, months after the news broke she was dating Prince Harry, the site was closed.
With her new brand As Ever, Markle is clearly planning a bold reentry to the lifestyle space. But while The Tig often featured interviews with other tastemakers, in As Ever, the main draw is meant to be Markle herself.
She’s certainly got the appearance part down: throughout the series, she shows up to the Montecito farmhouse in effortless and envy-inducing California-core style. “Your fashion is one of my favorite things,” Kaling tells her, as Markle shares she’s wearing a sweater from Jenni Kayne, a top from Loro Piana, and white linen pants from Zara. Later on that episode, I found myself trying to track down the designer of a midi blue dress with a nautical ship print she had on for several minutes. (It’s Emilia Wickstead.) She often wears straight leg jeans with a button-down shirt, and on occasion, even a simple T-shirt. When she puts something in the oven, you can see the gold Cartier watch on her wrist. Look even closer, and you’ll see the brand’s Juste Un Clou necklace.
But as a chef? She’s self-taught, and is at her most interesting when making dishes that a self-taught person would cook for their family or while entertaining with friends: that aforementioned skillet pasta, a frittata with slow roasted tomatoes, a big salad with sherry vinaigrette. Other times, though, you’re wondering maybe why she’s the one teaching us this: while making a honey lemon cake with berries, she admits she hates baking. In another episode, she makes doughnuts for the first time because she learned that her guest Roy Choi liked doughnuts. If a viewer is going to attempt doughnuts at home, they’ll likely want something that is tried and true. (Wisely, Markle goes into sous-chef mode whenever the professionals appear, listening and asking questions about what they’re doing.)
That being said, the cooking segments are the most interesting and relatable. The crafting ones? Not so much. In the first episode, she makes beeswax candles that seem so laborious that you’ll be thrilled to hand your credit card over the next time you’re at a Diptyque. I found myself equally de-influenced during a segment concerning a balloon arch which seems to take several hours—and a lot of manual labor—to create. (Now, there’s a lot of value to DIY content and its ability to help viewers save money. But this isn’t intended as a budget-friendly show. It’s a high end one, meant for people with guest rooms and ample spaces for dinner parties.)
The exception here is her flower arranging. Markle clearly has a passion for it, and carefully takes the viewer through each and every step, from selecting the flowers at the flower market to the final bloom put in the (quite impressive) arrangement. You might even find yourself taking notes.
Much of the humor in her show comes from the guests she has on—like when she uses a Le Creuset pan with Mindy Kaling. “Are you kidding me? In one of these heavy ass Le Creuset? I could do Romanian deadlifts with this Le Creuset,” she says. Markle mostly says instructional and reserved throughout.
It’s always interesting to see what role a host plays on a lifestyle show. Anthony Bourdain defined himself by his endless curiosity. Ina Garten embraced her relatability (“store bought is fine!”), while Martha Stewart leaned into her quest for unyielding perfection.
I’m not exactly sure what defines Meghan Markle. Everything on the show does feel so aspirationally Californian—there’s an emphasis on garden-grown produce, outdoor entertaining, farmer’s markets, and avocado toasts. There are cinematic shots of Markle hiking in the Santa Ynez mountains, or the Pacific Surfliner train rolling up the coast. “It should feel breezy. Like a Nancy Meyers movie,” Markle says while planning a girls’ dinner. The only slight problem with that? In addition to Meyers, there’s already someone extremely famous with a very similar aesthetic: Gwyneth Paltrow.
With Love, Meghan only has one season. And in the forthcoming months, Markle will launch As Ever. So a clearer definition of her brand is likely on the horizon. In the meantime? I’m going to try to make that skillet spaghetti.
