Meghan Markle’s new lifestyle show, With Love, Meghan, has just dropped on Netflix and I am already obsessed.
It is set in picturesque California on a stunning country estate with a beautiful garden, a modern farmhouse and an abundance of homegrown produce. I’ve only watched episode one, and I’m already inspired to switch to homegrown, hand-made everything in my own home. I simply can’t get enough, and this is why.
3 of Meghan’s top hosting tips
As Meghan welcomes special guests into her ‘home’, she shares how she provides the most thoughtful and enjoyable experience. She uses a sprinkle of magic from everyday living to bring friends closer as they create, cook and garden together.
In episode one, The Duchess of Sussex hosts her longtime makeup artist and close friend, Daniel Martin and here’s just a few things she does to make him feel at home.
1. Thoughtful gifts
The first thing Meghan does when hosting is ensure the guestroom and bathroom are set up beautifully with bits and pieces that’ll provide a relaxing and cosy stay.
Meghan takes us with her as she creates little pouches of bath salts so guests can enjoy a warm, comforting bath with the soothing scent of lavender before bed. Vases on the bedside tables are filled with fresh blooms from the garden, and she fills cellophane bags with homemade sweet and savoury snacks for late night cravings, finished off with an essential bow and label.
While we watched Meghan create bath salts, she didn’t provide a recipe. But you’re in luck because we have one!
2. Thoughtful food
We all know good food fills the heart, so when hosting guests Meghan says it’s important to ensure you have the foods they love.
“I know Michael has a sweet tooth, so I’m baking him a honey cake,” she says.
But it isn’t just an ordinary honey cake because she uses honey from her own little bee hive. We watch along as she shows the process of harvesting honey and collecting beeswax for a very special craft project.
Knowing Michael’s love for pasta, she cooked up a quick, easy and highly impressive recipe that uses only one-pan and vegies from the garden.
Here’s a delicious one-pot pasta to try yourself!
3. Create together
A key to hosting is getting your guests involved in making something they can take home. In episode one, they make beeswax candles using beeswax from her own beehive and beautifully smelling essential oils to relax and unwind.
Create lasting memories and make your very own candles!
What can you look forward to?
Every episode has a lineup of stars (including actress and comedian Mindy Kaling and Tatcha founder Vicky Tsai) through eight episodes. “It’s about connecting with friends, making new friends, and just learning,” says Meghan in the trailer’s voiceover.
On Instagram, Meghan says “I have been so excited to share this with you! I hope you love the show as much as I loved making it,” she writes.
Across the series, Meghan and co make everything from delicious desserts (including a layered-sponge cake and iced donuts topped with fresh flowers) to whole baked fish and getting completely kitted up for beekeeping. “We’re not in the pursuit of perfection,” she reassures, “we’re in the pursuit of joy.”
The show’s subject matter seems wholesome enough, tapping into both the ever-popular lifestyle genre that made the likes of Martha Stewart a household name as well as the current trend for ‘romanticising the everyday’, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been received with its fair share of raised eyebrows. The Guardian’s Madeleine Aggeler observes, for example, that the series isn’t filmed at Meghan and Harry’s own home as you might presume, but at an $8 million Montecito farmhouse several miles away.
In any case, it doesn’t matter whether you’re a fan of The Duchess or not, the series will surely attract a keen audience, ready to dissect and replicate her impeccible outfits and be inspired to appreciate the magic of simple, routine tasks like making a nutritious meal, entertaining loved ones, and getting out in nature. But the question on everyone’s lips? How involved is Prince Harry? He does appear – briefly – in the trailer, so I guess we’ll just have to tune in to find out.
Where to watch With Love, Meghan
With Love, Meghan is on Netflix now.
Where was With Love, Meghan filmed?
Elle Decor reports that With Love, Meghan was filmed at the $8 million Montecito estate of philanthropists Tom and Sherrie Cipolla.
Where are With Love, Meghan recipes?
While we can’t find the exact recipes from With Love, Meghan, we have included some recipes of our own for you to try!
