Meghan Markle’s new cooking show on Netflix mainly evokes disgust
The new series With love, Meghan has recently become available on Netflix. In the series, the Duchess of Sussex and former Suits actress Meghan Markle follows in the footsteps of Martha Stewart. Meghan shows that she is a true lifestyle guru, putting her cooking skills and talent for hospitality in the spotlight. A sunny, cheerful and even charming series, you might say. Yet Meghan’s show is receiving a ton of criticism.
In a California villa that takes your breath away, with a lush garden full of fruit trees and views of the mountains, Meghan Markle is doing her thing in the kitchen. It is not her own home, by the way. That is kept out of view for privacy reasons. Instead, she is cooking in the kitchen of wealthy neighbors, using items worth more than $20,000 in total. At least, that is what an observant viewer calculated after adding up the value of the Le Creuset pans and luxurious appliances. A perfect but unrealistic picture, then. But a beautiful picture nonetheless. I am certainly dreaming of a kitchen like that.
A perfect hostess à la Meghan
In eight episodes, Meghan takes you into the world of the perfect hostess. How do you pamper your guests, if we are to believe Meghan? Well, with a large jar of bath salts with lavender oil, for example. Or with a large (undoubtedly expensive) wooden board full of crudités. And with snack bags, which she adorably decorates with a bow and an elegant label. According to Meghan, you should even make colorful balloon arches. And, of course: cook delicious food. Meghan makes pasta, homemade focaccia and parfaits, among other things. The guests who visit during the episodes—her friends—are absolutely astounded by Meghan’s sweet gestures every time.
Disgusted viewers
They sound like fun tips. And Meghan Markle is an interesting woman. Right? Famous for her marriage to Harry, which caused a break with the British royal family. Add that stunning home in a beautiful location and you have all the ingredients for a successful new Netflix show.
But oh dear… Not many people agree. British viewers in particular (not surprisingly, given her reputation there), as well as American viewers, practically gag at the series. They take issue with the expensive items in a house that does not even belong to Meghan—but that is certainly not the only thing. People are laughing at the fact that Meghan opens a bag of supermarket peanut pretzels, only to put them in a ‘cuter’ gift bag with a bow around it. They are utterly baffled by the fact that she makes red pasta sauce while wearing a white dress.
Meghan Markle on Netflix: bullshit!
It recently emerged that even her own brother, Thomas Markle, is not impressed by Meghan’s show. He even says that she is lying. In one episode, Meghan says that she grew up quite poor. That she ate a lot of fast food and sat in front of the television with a plate on her lap, but that she did enjoy spending a lot of time in the kitchen. According to Thomas, this is all complete bullshit. Her brother says that they regularly went out for expensive meals, and that Meghan never cooked for anyone in the past.
Too perfect
I have watched With love, Meghan myself too. And honestly… I also think the show is absolutely nothing. It all feels so staged. Too perfect. I am also firmly convinced that everything is completely scripted, including the conversations Meghan has with her friends. Not a single interesting question is asked. That is such a shame, because Meghan herself reveals virtually nothing about her private life—other than that she likes making jam and breakfast for her family. I can think of a million questions I would like to ask her. ‘What really happened in the royal family?’, ‘Don’t you secretly want to act again?’, ‘Did you really not know that you shouldn’t wear a white dress when making red pasta sauce?’, just to name a few.
It feels fake. You almost want to shake Meghan awake from her own dream. I am even starting to wonder whether the royal actually cooked everything herself, although you really do see her kneading dough and stirring the pasta herself. And am I actually learning anything from her tips? Nahhh… I can look up a focaccia recipe myself. And nobody makes a balloon arch, sorry.
Netflix fortune
An interesting fact: Meghan reportedly has a whopping $100 million deposited into her account for this show. What?! For that kind of money, I would also put together a balloon arch and happily stain my snow-white dress. Despite the bad reviews, there will be a second season. I am very curious to see whether we will get a little more depth and a little less fakeness then.
Read also:
- Tips for the ultimate bolognese
- Royal indulgence: Buckingham Palace shares the recipe for its royal cupcakes
- Real life: I don’t date men who can’t cook
Sources: De Telegraaf, Daily Mail, Huffington Post, Royalty, Vogue
