A lunch over beef wellington, a specialty of English cuisine, garnished with poisonous mushrooms ended in the death of three people in Australia, news that kept the country in suspense for days.
Police say Amanita phalloides, believed to be the deadliest fungus in the world, which grows around the small town of Leongatha, a two-hour drive from Melbourne, is the cause of the deaths.
But what were they doing with this “crusted beef tenderloin”? The mystery is thicker than the mistress of the house, who prepared the meal for four guests, is the only one who did not fall ill.
Host Erin Patterson explained on Monday that she bought this mushroom at an Asian grocery store and confirmed it was an accident.
“I am troubled that these mushrooms could have contributed” to the fatal outcome. She added, “I want to reiterate that I have absolutely no reason to hurt these people I loved.”
She had made her Beef Wellington recipe for her in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, on July 29. She was married to their son Simon but the couple had been living apart for some time.
Baptist pastor Ian Wilkinson and his wife, Heather, complete the guest list.
The fact that her four guests soon fell ill, unlike her, who remained healthy, fueled the rumours, and they singled her out as a suspect.
The pastor’s parents and wife died a few days later after developing symptoms consistent with food poisoning. The priest is in critical but stable condition.
“I didn’t do anything, I love them, I’m devastated that they are gone,” the chef told reporters, tearfully last week.
She was not charged and the police provided no evidence to suggest that the act was premeditated.
Amanita phalloides, also known as Oronge verte and Chalice de la mort, can easily be confused with the edible species.
Its powerful toxins severely damage the liver and kidneys. There is currently no real antidote for penile poisoning.
