At dwelling with Meghan.. simply not HER dwelling: Duchess rents £5m actuality TV mansion a stone’s throw from her personal Montecito mansion for brand spanking new Netflix cookery present – kitted out with a £15,000 vary, £600 pans and chopping boards a snip at £60 every!

When Meghan Markle announced her much-anticipated Netflix cooking show, With Love, Meghan, she promised viewers an intimate ‘at home with Meghan’ experience.

But in a twist that’s sure to raise eyebrows, the Duchess of Sussex has chosen to film in a kitchen that isn’t her own – despite living just a stone’s throw away in her Montecito mansion.

Instead the 42-year-old duchess has set up shop at a sprawling estate just two miles from the £11million home she shares with Prince Harry and their children, Archie and Lilibet. 

The property, an idyllic $5million estate nestled within a gated community, boasts eight acres of avocado trees and lemon groves, but it belongs not to Meghan, but to Montecito’s well-heeled Cipolla family.

Tom and Sherrie Cipolla, fixtures in the high-society circles of the American Riviera, have generously lent their $5million home for the filming of With Love, Meghan – a decision that raises more than a few eyebrows. 

The Cipollas, both in their 70s, are prominent philanthropists with a $20million property portfolio, which includes a physical therapy practice with over $1.3million in annual sales.

The 4,500-square-foot Cipolla residence, with four-bedroom and 4.5-bathrooms, has stunning French doors that open to a patio, lawn, and breath-taking mountain views, and will be the stage where Meghan will showcase her ‘domestic goddess’ persona, stirring up more than just bowls of homemade jam. 

In the trailer published on her new Instagram account today, Meghan gives fans a sneak peek of her culinary aspirations, arranging flowers and preparing an array of dishes from crudités to cakes. 

All alongside her very famous pals including Mindy Kaling (an early recipient of American Riviera Orchard Jam) while The Lovin’ Spoonful’s Do You Believe in Magic plays over the top.

But while she may be curating an image of wholesome domesticity, it seems the real kitchen she’s using is far from her own. 

Instead, Meghan will cook, entertain, and ‘share the joys of gardening, friendship, and entertaining’ in the luxurious home of the Cipolla family.

The property features the centerpiece of the estate: a spacious kitchen with Caesartone countertops, estimated to cost about £200 to £550 per square meter and a 48-inch Thermador range cooker, which comes with a hefty price tag of around £15,000. 

Behind her, cream-colored Shaker-style cabinetry and a farmhouse-style sink is punctuated with contrasting black hardware.

Alongside other kitchen staples such as copper pans, for around £200-£600 and her favourite Vitamix E320 Explorian Blender, which is loved by countless other stars such as Miranda Kerr, Gwyneth Paltrow and Zac Efron but will set you back £450.

Donning the back of the stove you see a selection of black walnut chopping boards, which provide an easy aesthetic vibe to the kitchen but each one should cost about £60. 

In perfect influencer style she also uses an array of state-of-art Le Creuset cookware, all in matching white. A single pot online retails for about £180-£250.

In one shot, the mother-of-two served a caprese appetizer – adorably made to look like ladybugs.

Sitting on small pieces of bread, the ladybugs – whose bodies were made of baby tomatoes with small black dots with olive heads- sat on a mozzarella and leaf bed.

They sat on a gorgeous blue floral patterned plate, which is believed to be the Blue Peony Plate from Earth and Element, a female owned ceramics studio located in Los Angeles. The plate prices start from £32 ($40) for each bread plate and £57 ($70) for a dinner plate.

In another shot, a beautiful salad bowl sits on top of the stunning island bench.

The bowl resembles one found to be from Astier de Villatte – a line of ceramic made in Paris from black terracotta clay finished with a signature milky white glaze.

The websites notes that each piece is handmade and will feature unique variations, with the large Adelaide Salad Bowl retailing for £280 ($345).

Meghan also served guests a dessert that appears to resemble Eton Mess, containing strawberries, cream, mint and a berry coulis.

She serves the pink sweet in a old fashioned ice-cream dish, with similar versions found on Crate and Barrel for an affordable £3 ($3.95) per cup.

Meghan’s cooking show is not only part of her personal reinvention but also a key component in her $100million Netflix deal with Prince Harry. 

However, the reality has proven far more challenging than the fairytale narrative Meghan may have envisioned. 

A series of high-profile missteps and cancellations have cast a shadow over her post-royal ventures, leaving many to question whether her brand can recover. 

From the axing of her Netflix series ‘Pearl’ to the discontinuation of her Spotify podcast ‘Archetypes’ and the still-unrealised promise of her lifestyle brand, Meghan’s attempts to reshape her public persona have met with limited success.

This comes as the Duchess launched her personal Instagram account yesterday with a video – filmed by husband Harry – of herself laughing on a beach near their home in Montecito.

Meghan’s foray into the lifestyle sector with American Riviera Orchard has encountered several obstacles. 

Launched with the ambition to rival established brands like Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop, the brand focuses on home, garden, food, and general lifestyle products. However, it has faced trademark issues, staffing challenges, and delays in product launches.

In March 2024, Meghan filed for a trademark for American Riviera Orchard, followed by a soft launch on social media. 

However, the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) rejected the trademark request due to inconsistencies in the application. 

Further complications arose when the food company Harry & David filed a protest, claiming that American Riviera Orchard is too similar to their own Royal Riviera trademark.

Additionally, reports have surfaced about difficulties in staffing. In August 2024, it was reported that 18 staff members had exited the business, and by November, a CEO had allegedly not been found to lead the brand. 

Despite these setbacks, Meghan appears determined to continue her entrepreneurial journey. She has returned to social media, launching a new Instagram account on New Year’s Day with a beach video reportedly filmed by Prince Harry. 

This move is seen as the beginning of a potential comeback year, with plans to premiere a new show on a streaming service and launch the American Riviera Orchard brand in early 2025.