In an unprecedented move, Meghan invited her to the event, and they appeared together in public for the first time since May's royal wedding. It is unheard of for family members to attend official royal engagements.
During the event, which the Duke of Sussex also attended, Meghan spoke of how important the multi-cultural Grenfell kitchen was in making her feel welcome in London, after moving to Britain from Canada.
The duchess, 37, who hosted a lunch for the women of the Hubb Community Kitchen and their families, said she had felt 'immediately embraced' by the women of the kitchen who made her feel welcome on a personal level.
Joined by Ms Ragland, she helped make chapatis and turn koftas on a grill as she launched the Together cookbook in a tent. In a speech to guests, she said the project had been a 'tremendous labour of love'.
'It truly took a village to see this through': Meghan's speech in full
'I'm so privileged to know you.
Working on this project for the past nine months has been a tremendous labour of love. I have just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by the women in the kitchen, by your kindness and to be in this city and be in this room and see how multi-cultural it was.
'On a personal level I feel so proud to live in a city with so much diversity. This whole country is represented by the people in the kitchen. It's pretty outstanding.
'There's so many people to thank - I'm extremely grateful because this is my first project and I appreciate your support. It truly took a village to see this through. Everyone has embraced this so fully because it has been a passion project for us all.
'As I said this is more than a cook book and what I mean by that is the power of food is more than just the meal itself it is the story behind it. And when you get to know the story behind the recipe, you get to know the person behind it and help us celebrate what connects us rather than divides us. That is the ethos of Together.
'Thank you so much for letting me be part of this and letting me be on this adventure with you and I’m so excited to see the projects we will continue to do in your community and also how you will inspire people globally by sharing your stories and your recipes. It's so impactful. You can see that in just a few days alone what's happened and the book's not out yet.
'What you have been able to do is a testament to what that means to people. I'm so proud of you.
'So on that note I know that some of you have started eating, as you should. I'd be the last one to want to let the food get cold so please enjoy your beautiful lunch and give another round of applause for the Hubb Community Kitchen. Thank you.'
'I have just recently moved to London and I felt so immediately embraced by the women in the kitchen, by your kindness and to be in this city and be in this room and see how multi-cultural it was.
'On a personal level I feel so proud to live in a city with so much diversity. This whole country is represented by the people in the kitchen. It's pretty outstanding.'
The duchess and her mother, have not been seen in public together since the royal wedding in Windsor on May 19 and looked relaxed in each other's company.
Meghan was reunited with the Grenfell community group who provided the dishes for Together, the fundraising publication aimed at supporting the local kitchen where the cooks meet in West London.
The idea for the book came from the duchess after she was told, during her first private trip to the Hubb Community Kitchen in North Kensington, the facilities were only open two days a week because of a lack of funds.
The women of the Hubb Community Kitchen showcased their own personal recipes featured in the cookbook, many of which have been handed down through generations.
Guests enjoyed the home-made dishes including coconut chicken curry, aubergine masala and a range of chapatis and sharing dips, as well as caramelised plum upside-down cake, and spiced mint tea.
The duchess will join the women as they cook the dishes and assist with the preparations, before the group and the duke and duchess sit to enjoy the freshly made food with their guests.
Guests will include members of the local community, representatives from Ebury Press - publishers of the book - the Al Manaar Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre, where the cooks are based, and the Royal Foundation.
On Monday, as the duchess helped to release the new cookbook, it emerged that she made secret trips to a community mosque to cook with Grenfell Tower victims after the horrifying inferno that left 72 dead.
In her first solo project as a member of the royal family, Meghan wrote the foreword to the new book produced by cooks from the Hubb Community Kitchen, an initiative based near the site of the West London tower.
MailOnline
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