Erin Patterson outlines the steps she took to make the beef wellington dish.

Almost two years after it was alleged Erin Patterson fed poisoned beef wellingtons to her estranged husband's family, a trial is underway in a small regional town.

Amid intense interest in the case, dozens of documentary-makers, journalists, podcast creators and true crime novelists have descended on Morwell, Gippsland, about 150km southeast of Melbourne.

Fifteen jurors — 10 men and five women — were selected on 29 April, with 12 of them to decide Patterson's fate through a unanimous verdict at the end of the trial.

Patterson is accused of serving a poisoned lunch to guests at her Leongatha home on July 29, 2023, Justice Christopher Beale told the jury before the selection began.

Her husband, Simon Patterson, did not attend the lunch, but his parents, Don and Gail Patterson, and his aunt and uncle, Heather and Ian Wilkinson, did attend, he said.

Her former in-laws and Ms Wilkinson died in hospital after the lunch.

READ MORE: Two days after the mushroom lunch, Erin Patterson's husband asked her a very direct question.

It's alleged the meal was laced with deadly death cap mushrooms.

Patterson is charged with the murder of Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, and Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, along with the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson. She has plead not guilty to all offences against her.

This is everything we know about the case and the trial.

Listen to The Quicky discuss this case. Post continues below.

June 3: Patterson admits to foraging wild mushrooms in lead up to lunch.

Patterson accepted there must have been death cap mushrooms inside a lunch she cooked for her former husband's family, after admitting to foraging during evidence.

Patterson said she had begun wild mushroom picking when the COVID-19 pandemic threw Victorians into lockdown in 2020.

She had always enjoyed eating mushrooms because "they taste good and they're very healthy", she said.

But she said it was hard to figure out "what a mushroom is" when she began picking them, and she had used Facebook groups for mushroom lovers to identify different types.

Patterson said she started cooking wild mushrooms in the years before the lunch, and "ate it and then saw what happened".

"They tasted good and I didn't get sick," she said.

Mr Mandy later asked specifically about where she got the mushrooms that were inside the lunch.

She said the "vast majority" came from Woolworths and some were from "the grocer in Melbourne".

Patterson said she bought a dehydrator because she "liked eating wild mushrooms but it's a very small season".

Asked where she had foraged for wild mushrooms, Patterson listed the Botanic Gardens in Korumburra, her Leongatha and Korumburra properties and a rail trail.

Patterson said she had also purchased mushrooms from an Asian grocer in Mount Waverley in April 2023 and she was going to use them the day she bought them but "they were very pungent".

She said she would also put Woolworths mushrooms she had dehydrated into a container in her pantry.

Asked whether she put the wild mushrooms in a container with other dried mushrooms, Patterson replied: "Yes I did."

June 2: Erin speaks for the first time.

Patterson spoke about battling low self-esteem, changes to her spirituality and becoming distant from her estranged husband's family.

She was asked by defence barrister Colin Mandy SC about her family situation in the months before the fatal lunch.

Patterson said her two children were living with her full-time and could see her estranged husband Simon "whenever they wanted to".

She said her financial circumstances at the time of the lunch were "comfortable".

Mr Mandy then asked Patterson about parts of her life that were not "so good" in July 2023, and she described changes in her relationship with Simon's family, saying there was "more space put between us".

She said she had begun to have "concerns that Simon was not wanting me to be involved too much with the family anymore, perhaps I wasn't being invited to so many things".

She had been "fighting low self-esteem" for most of her adult life and said she had planned to have gastric bypass surgery after putting on weight.

Patterson said her relationship problems with Simon stemmed from communication issues.

May 29: Missing context in 'venting' messages.

Patterson's defence team read to a jury missing context from frustrated messages about her former in-laws and claimed she was "venting" to online friends about her life.

Patterson's barrister Colin Mandy SC took the jury of 14 back to messages they'd been shown previously, between Patterson and some of her Facebook friends in December 2022.

He presented jurors with "context" around the messages, which he said went for 186 pages, and said some replies from friends had been left out by the prosecution.

"So he said all that he can ask is that Simon and I get together to pray for the children ... this family I swear to f***ing god," one of Patterson's Facebook messages said.

Her friend replied to this "what morons!" and then said "anyway you weren't asking them to adjudicate you just wanted them to hear your story".

"I said to him about 50 times yesterday that I didn't want them to adjudicate, nobody bloody listens to me. At least I know they're a lost cause," Patterson responded.

"You haven't heard from Simon?" her friend said.

Patterson replied that she wondered if "they've got capacity for self-reflection at all?" and then described how Simon "refuses to talk about personal issues" which she said stemmed from the behaviour of his parents.

Her friend said "it's pathetic" and that even if Simon did not want to talk about their marriage "they could at least demand to know how he is financially supporting the kids".

"Well you have tried. I would wipe them too now," another message from a friend said.

"I suspect the best thing I can do is just to forget about all of them and live my life. Simon is probably loving how upset I am about all this," Patterson said.

Her friend said Patterson had "every right to be upset and angry" and if Simon was "loving that then it makes him even worse".

"Hopefully he will have to pay up soon," the friend said.

After reading the messages, Mr Mandy asked Detective Eppingstall if they appeared to be sent in the context of "venting to each other about their lives", which the detective agreed.

May 28: 'Worries' about ovarian cancer shared.

Patterson's defence team has presented medical records showing the she "worries about ovary cancer" and had a family history of the disease.

Prosecutors allege Patterson used a fake cancer claim to get her four lunch guests to her Leongatha home.

Detective Eppingstall read out messages Patterson sent to Gail and Don weeks before the meal, after they checked on medical tests Patterson claimed she performed on a lump.

"There's a bit to digest with everything that's come out of it all," Patterson told Gail via text message. "I might talk more about it with you both when I see you in person."

Detective Eppingstall said he obtained all of Patterson's medical records from 2023 and found no record she ever received an MRI or biopsy, nor that she had been diagnosed with cancer.

However, medical material from 2021 was shown to the jury while the detective was cross-examined by defence.

This included a referral in October 2021 from doctor Cassie Zhou, who said: "Erin worries about ovary cancer, has been Googling symptoms, thinks her symptoms may (be) suggestive of ovary cancer".

She referred Patterson for an ultrasound of her ovaries and listed a large number of "non-specific symptoms" including weight gain, nausea, extreme fatigue, indigestion, headaches and irregular periods.

In December 2021, another referral was completed for Patterson as she "suspects she has MS" and "ticks all the boxes for MS".

"Erin is wondering if we should organise spinal MRI as her brain MRI is normal," the referral said.

The jury was then shown a "complete history" report from Leongatha medical centre, which stated Patterson had ovarian cancer on her maternal and paternal sides, both in aunts aged in their 40s.

It further showed Patterson's daughter had a "benign ovarian mass" when aged six months.

May 27: Police interview played to the court.

Patterson denied owning a dehydrator and claimed she loved her former in-laws "a lot" in an interview with police a week after serving a poisonous lunch.

Her police interview, on August 5, 2023, was publicly aired for the first time.

Detective Eppingstall said police allowed Patterson to use a mobile phone in a room on her own for 20 to 30 minutes during the search.

After the search, Patterson was taken to Wonthaggi police station for questioning, about 4.30pm.

Patterson told police "I've never been in a situation like this before" and looked emotional as she was informed two lunch guests had died and another two were in critical conditions.

"I've been very, very helpful with the health department through the week because I ... do want to know what happened, so I've given them as much information as they've asked for," she said in the interview.

Detective Eppingstall asked if she'd foraged for mushrooms, Patterson shook her head and said "never".

He asked if she had ever used a food dehydrator, after police found a copy of a dehydrator manual during their search, but she said "no".

"I've got manuals of lots of stuff," Patterson said in the interview.

Don and Gail Patterson were the parents of Patterson's estranged husband. Image: Supplied.

Asked about why she had invited her estranged husband's family over for lunch, Patterson said "they were always good to me" and she had no other family left.

"I've always maintained good relationships with them. I love them a lot," she told police.

"They always said they would support me, even though Simon and I separated, I really appreciated that.

"They're the only family that I've got and the only grandparents my kids have, and I want them to stay in my kids' life. I think Simon hated that."

She said nothing her estranged husband Simon had ever done to her would change the fact his family were "good, decent people".

Patterson was then asked about her visit to Leongatha Hospital, on July 31, and why she had discharged herself minutes after arriving.

She said she had to go home, feed her animals and pack a bag for her daughter, and then returned to hospital.

At the hospital she spoke to doctor Chris Webster, who told her some of her lunch guests were sick.

A Beef Wellington recipe in a copy of the cook book RecipeTin Eats Dinner by Nagi Maehashi in Melbourne, Monday, May 26, 2025. Image: AAP/Joel Carrett.

"He said to me, something along the lines of 'we've got a concern that they've eaten death cap mushrooms'," she said in the interview.

"I said 'what' and then he started asking me about what food I had served."

Detective Eppingstall said to Patterson's credit she had given police a pin code while at hospital, to get into her gate to find leftovers from the beef Wellington in the bin.

"I said there's the leftovers in the bin, you can have it, feel free to look through it. I said I'll go and get it if you want, but I'm on a drip."

"Thank you for helping us locate that," the detective said.

Detective Eppingstall confirmed Patterson was allowed to go home after the interview, and was not arrested until November 2, 2023.

Earlier, the jury was shown the recipe Patterson used to cook the lunch, which was found by police sitting next to her stove.

Detective Eppingstall said it was on page 252 of Nagi Maehashi's RecipeTin Eats cookbook Dinner.

May 22: Devices, messages in focus.

Digital forensics officer Shamen Fox-Henry showed the jury his analysis of devices seized from Patterson's home.

This included messages prosecutors allege Patterson sent, under the Facebook username of Erin Erin Erin, to her friends on Messenger about seven months before the fatal lunch.

"This family I swear to f***ing god," said one message sent by Erin Erin Erin, on December 6, 2022.

Another message the following day, said: "I'm sick of this sh*t, I want nothing to do with them."

The messages followed attempts by Don and Gail Patterson to help resolve a child support dispute between Erin and estranged husband Simon.

Simon Patterson. Image: Diego Fedele/AAP.

In another message Erin Erin Erin said she did not want to read messages sent the day before from Simon or his parents.

"Simon's will be horrible, gaslighting and abusive, and it will ruin my day, and his parents' will be more weasel words," the message said.

Another message said: "His mum was horrified I had claimed child support, why isn't she horrified that her son is a deadbeat, and that had no choice but to claim."

Fox-Henry's report on a mobile phone Patterson had handed to police after they searched her home revealed four factory resets had been carried out in 2023.

This included one remote wipe of the phone on August 6, the day after she had handed the device to police.

Photos taken of mushrooms in May 2023, including some inside a food dehydrator, were found on a tablet seized by police and also shown to the jury.

May 21: Visit to mushroom website.

A search of devices seized from Patterson's home reveals a visit to a science website showing the location of death cap mushrooms about a year before serving up a poisoned beef Wellington, a jury has been told.

Victoria Police digital forensics officer Shamen Fox-Henry said he applied keyword searches to the seized devices for terms including "death cap, death cap mushrooms, mushrooms and poison".

Analysis of a Cooler Master computer taken by police, which had three storage devices inside it, revealed that on May 28, 2022, the iNaturalist science website was searched for via web browser Bing, he said.

The iNaturalist website was also accessed about 7.22pm, and "observations" were visited, the jury was told.

Then at 7.23pm "death cap from Melbourne VIC Australia on May 18 2022" on the iNaturalist website was visited on the device.

It further detailed it was at "Bricker Reserve, Moorabbin" and the post was by Ivan Margitta, with two visits to the web page.

"That URL was visited twice in that browser," Mr Fox-Henry told the jury, who were shown records of the website visits.

The device then used Google to search "Korumburra middle pub" at 7:23pm.

May 20: Petrol station CCTV played.

Detective Senior Constable Khuong Tran told the jury he obtained CCTV for the case, including from a BP petrol station in Caldermeade.

In video shown to the jury, about 3.19pm on July 30, the day after the mushroom meal, Patterson is seen getting out of a red vehicle and walking into the service station towards the bathroom.

Patterson, wearing a grey top and white pants with a black cross-body shoulder bag and sandals, spends about nine seconds in the toilets and then takes an item from the fridge before paying and leaving.

May 19: Patterson's phone pinged near mushrooms.

Patterson's phone was detected near death cap mushroom sites months before she served a deadly lunch, a jury has been told.

Matthew Sorrell, a digital forensics expert, told the jury Patterson's phone was in the vicinity of Outtrim, about 20km southwest of her Leongatha home, on May 22, 2023.

There was a post published on the iNaturalist science website on May 21 showing death cap mushrooms had been located on Neilson Street in Outtrim, the jury was previously told.

Dr Sorrell said Patterson's phone connected to a cell tower near Neilson Street between 11.24am and 11.41am on May 22, although it was likely she could have stayed as late as 11.49am.

Patterson's phone also pinged to a tower in Loch, about 25km north of Outtrim, earlier on May 22, the jury was told.

Three specimens of death cap (Amanita phalloides). Image: Getty.

Dr Sorrell said the data supported the proposition that Patterson was in the vicinity of the Loch township and recreation reserve between 9.24am and 10.01am.

Patterson's phone connected to the Loch tower on April 28 as well, although Dr Sorrell told the jury the data did not strongly support the proposition she attended the reserve.

Christine McKenzie, who worked as a Victorian Poisons Information Centre specialist for 17 years, told the jury she found death cap mushrooms at the Loch reserve on April 18, 2023.

McKenzie said she was walking with her husband and grandson when she saw mushrooms growing under an oak tree and realised they were death caps.

She pulled them out of the ground to photograph and then removed all she could find, placing them into a dog poo bag.

"Because of my training, I was very well aware of the toxicity," she said earlier on Monday.

McKenzie said she posted four photos of the mushrooms onto iNaturalist that afternoon, along with the exact location of where they were found.

May 15: Juror discharged from trial.

Justice Christopher Beale dismissed one of the 15 jurors after he received information they had been discussing the trial with friends and family.

The judge told jurors not to contact the discharged juror.

He also issued a warning to the 14 remaining jurors, who will be whittled down to 12 to decide Patterson's fate at the end of the trial.

May 15: Expert finds toxic chemicals in meal.

Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine chief toxicologist Dimitri Gerostamoulos said he performed chemical testing of remnants of the meal and found beta-amanitin inside samples of the meat and mushroom paste, which is a death cap mushroom toxin.

He also found toxins inside a food dehydrator, which was seized from a tip in the days after the lunch.

A general view of the Leongatha home. Image: Getty.

It comes after the first scientist to test the beef Wellington remains said she did not find evidence of death cap mushrooms after examining the food with a microscope.

May 14: Dumped food dehydrator shown to jury.

Waste workers found a food dehydrator dumped at a tip by a woman days after the mushroom lunch, the jury was told.

Video showed a woman removing the black dehydrator from a red car and placing it in an e-waste bin at the Koonwarra Transfer Station.

Prosecutors allege the dehydrator contained traces of the death cap mushroom linked to the poisoned beef Wellington.

Operations manager Darren Canty said he handed the footage to police after being contacted on August 4.

The jury also saw a photo of the Sunbeam dehydrator, which was paid for by EFTPOS.

May 13: Mushroom expert gives evidence.

Mycologist Tom May testified about how mushrooms grow and how death caps are identified.

Under cross-examination by defence barrister Sophie Stafford, he agreed there were challenges in identifying mushrooms from photos alone.

Stafford asked if toxic mushrooms are usually confirmed only after ingestion. Dr May said that's often the case, though chemical tests can also detect toxins.

He agreed that identifying poisonous mushrooms is "challenging," with the risk of mistaking toxic species for harmless ones.

Dr May also confirmed that toxic and non-toxic mushrooms can grow close together.

Mycologist Tom May gave evidence, explaining in detail how mushrooms grow and how death cap mushrooms are identified.

Under cross-examination by Patterson's defence barrister Sophie Stafford, Dr May was shown 10 photographs of mushrooms and asked whether they appeared consistent with death caps.

Dr May agreed there were "many challenges" in trying to identify a mushroom from a single image.

"We simply don't know whether those mushrooms are toxic until someone consumes it, is that right?" Ms Stafford asked.

"That is generally a way that we determine the mushroom is toxic, after an ingestion and connecting symptoms," Dr May replied.

"It is possible to analyse mushrooms for known toxins, so that would be another way.

"In general, the way that we have determined that native Australian fungi are toxic is through symptoms after ingestion."

She asked whether Dr May agreed that poisonous mushroom identification was "fraught with challenges".

"It is challenging," Dr May replied.

He said "mistaken identity" could occur when someone believed they were collecting a non-toxic mushroom but it ended up being poisonous.

He confirmed it was possible to have non-toxic and toxic mushrooms growing alongside each other.

Mycologist Dr. Tom May leaves court. Image: Getty.

May 13: Death caps found in the area before fatal dinner.

Dr May was questioned by prosecutor Nanette Rogers about a post he made on the iNaturalist website, where he shared photos and an exact location of death cap mushrooms in Outtrim, Gippsland, on May 21, 2023.

Using the username "funkeytom," he uploaded four photos and said he was highly confident they depicted amanita phalloides (death cap mushrooms).

Prosecutor Rogers told the jury that phone data would allegedly show Patterson travelled from her home in Leongatha to Outtrim the day after Dr May's post.

Dr May said there were two other death cap sightings in Gippsland: one in Loch on April 18, 2023, and one in Morwell within the last 20 years.

Dr May was questioned by prosecutor Nanette Rogers on a post he listed on the iNaturalist website about death cap mushrooms being found in Gippsland months before the fatal dinner.

He posted four photos and an exact location for the mushrooms, on Neilson Street in Outtrim, under his username "funkeytom" on May 21, 2023, the jury was told.

"I would say, taking together the combination of the features, that I would be with a high degree of confidence identifying those images as amanita phalloides (death cap mushrooms)," Dr May said.

Dr Rogers told the jury, during her openings on April 30, the prosecution will allege Patterson's phone data "suggests" she travelled from her Leongatha home to Outtrim the day after Dr May's post.

The fungi expert said there were two other sightings of death cap mushrooms in the Gippsland region: one in Loch on April 18, 2023, and one in Morwell recorded in the past 20 years.

Patterson 'did not appear unwell' after mushroom poisoning.

Doctors who treated Patterson at Monash Hospital spoke to the jury about how she did not appear unwell and was discharged.

Patterson had taken herself to Leongatha Hospital on July 31, saying she was suffering from diarrhoea and abdominal pain, and she was then taken by ambulance to the Melbourne hospital.

Monash emergency doctor Varuna Ruggoo, who assessed Patterson on August 1, found she was "clinically well" after performing several tests.

Dr Ruggoo deemed Patterson fit to be discharged at 1pm that day.

May 8: Mushroom cook's co-parent relationship 'very negative'.

Patterson's teenage son told police his parents' relationship was "very negative" in the year before the deadly lunch.

He said his mother moved out about seven years earlier after arguments with his father Simon, though they never divorced. Initially, he and his sister stayed with Patterson during the week and Simon on weekends, but that changed in the year before the lunch.

The boy told police Simon often tried to upset his mother, like interfering with the school's billing by adding his name without her knowledge.

He said he had been living only with his mother in the year before the lunch, despite Simon's efforts to change that.

Don and Gail Patterson's grave. Image: Getty.

The boy recalled that on the Sunday after the lunch, Patterson felt sick but still took him to his flying lesson. She did not need to stop for the bathroom during the drive, though she went immediately when they returned home.

The jury heard Patterson served her children leftovers from the lunch for dinner that night.

The boy said he usually didn't like leftovers, but the steak "was very soft and probably some of the best meat" he'd had.

He also said while he didn't like mushrooms, his mother did. He remembered her photographing mushrooms in the Korumburra Botanic Park in 2020 but said they never picked any.

Patterson's nine-year-old daughter also told police they'd never foraged for mushrooms and described her mother as a "very good" cook who served leftovers of steak, mashed potatoes, and beans without gravy.

Heather and Ian Wilkinson were treated at hospital the day after the lunch. Image: Supplied.

May 7: Doctor's call to cops about mushroom cook played in court.

A doctor's call to police after Patterson discharged herself from Leongatha Hospital was revealed.

Dr Chris Webster told the court Patterson presented at 8am on July 31 claiming to have "gastro." Recognising her as the chef from the fatal lunch, he warned her about potential death cap mushroom poisoning and referred her to a nurse.

Within five minutes, she left against medical advice. Dr Webster called her three times and left voicemails, then alerted hospital executives and called triple zero.

In the call played to the jury, Dr Webster expressed concern about a patient who may have ingested a deadly toxin.

Police later found Patterson had returned to hospital. Dr Webster asked her about leftovers, and she said they'd be in the bin.

Dr Webster said he urged Patterson to have her children assessed, but she said she was concerned "they were going to be frightened".

"I said, 'They can be scared and alive, or dead,'" Dr Webster said.

Nurse Veronica Foote said Patterson explained she needed to leave to care for her children and animals but promised to return.

The children of Don and Gail Patterson also testified, recalling their final moments with their parents in hospital.

Anna Terrington said she took her mother to the bathroom "many times," while Matthew Patterson recalled finding his father in intensive care. He asked Erin where the mushrooms were from, and she told him Woolies and a Chinese grocer.

May 6: Sole survivor of poisonous mushroom lunch speaks out.

The sole survivor of the deadly mushroom meal, Ian Wilkinson, told the court he was surprised to be invited to Patterson's home, describing their relationship as friendly but not close.

Wilkinson said Patterson declined offers from Heather and Gail to help serve the beef Wellington.

He recounted that Patterson carried her own "orange or tan" plate while the others had grey plates. When cut open, the dish contained steak and mushrooms.

After the meal, Wilkinson remembered Don joking about eating one-and-a-half serves. Dessert followed, but little was eaten.

Patterson then revealed she had cancer and asked for advice on telling her children. Wilkinson, a pastor, suggested a prayer.

Ian Wilkinson leaves at a Supreme Court sitting at the Latrobe Valley Courts in Morwell, Victoria, Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Image: AAP/Joel Carrett.

That night, Heather began vomiting. Wilkinson said they both believed it was gastro. Patterson's estranged husband, Simon, drove them to Leongatha Hospital, where they were diagnosed with death cap mushroom poisoning and transferred to Dandenong Hospital.

Heather and Gail died at the Austin Hospital on August 4, Don the following day.

Wilkinson spent weeks in intensive care and was discharged in late September.

Medics reveal final days of mushroom lunch victims.

Nurses and doctors described how Don and Gail Patterson's health declined after eating a lunch prepared by their former daughter-in-law that allegedly contained death cap mushrooms.

Patient transport officer Cindy Hyde said Don had been vomiting and suffering diarrhoea for eight hours.

At Korumburra Hospital on July 30, nurse Lisa Shannon noted Don was sicker than Gail and needed urgent transfer to a higher-level hospital.

At Dandenong Hospital, Dr Beth Morgan said Don reported vomiting "30 to 40 times" since midnight. Toxicologists suspected death cap mushroom poisoning.

The antidote, Silibinin, was not available locally.

Ian and Heather Wilkinson were treated at Leongatha Hospital before transfer to Dandenong. Ian recalled being given a "charcoal substance to drink."

All lunch guests were ultimately transferred to the Austin Hospital.

May 5: Erin Patterson shared love of mushrooms in online group.

Patterson had shared with true crime fans her love of mushrooms, excitement over buying a food dehydrator and plans to cook beef Wellington.

The true crime Facebook group, originally formed to discuss convicted baby killer Keli Lane, also discussed other cases and personal stories.

Group member Christine Hunt described Patterson as "well-regarded" and a "really good researcher."

Daniela Barkley said Patterson had shared photos of a black dehydrator filled with mushrooms in 2023.

"She was a bit excited that she'd purchased a food dehydrator," Barkley said via video link.

Screenshots of Patterson's messages to the group were also shown to the jury, including one where she said: "I've been hiding powdered mushrooms in everything. Mixed into chocolate brownies yesterday, the kids had no idea."

"Towards the end of July, Erin said she was making beef Wellington," Ms Hay said, adding that Patterson mentioned buying beef at the supermarket and that the mushrooms came from an Asian grocer.

Earlier, Patterson's estranged husband Simon concluded his evidence after nearly three days.

Defence barrister Colin Mandy SC suggested Simon had accused Patterson of using the food dehydrator to poison guests. Simon denied making that comment.

April 30: Erin Patterson wanted a 'special meal' for lunch.

Patterson told her estranged husband she wanted to make a "special meal" for his family before she allegedly fed them the death cap mushroom-laced beef Wellingtons, a jury has been told.

Crown prosecutor Nanette Rogers SC opened her case when she revealed Patterson wanted to hold the lunch to seek advice on telling her children about medical issues.

The day before, on July 28, Simon sent a text to Patterson declining her lunch invitation, because he felt "uncomfortable", but was happy to talk about Patterson's health another time, she said.

Dr Rogers said Patterson, in her reply to Simon, "emphasised the effort she put into the lunch and said she wanted it to be a special meal and she may not be able to have a lunch like this for some time".

Patterson organised for her children to be out of the house for the lunch on July 29.

After her former in-laws and Heather and Ian Wilkinson arrived at her home, Patterson served up individual beef wellingtons consisting of a piece of steak covered with mushrooms and wrapped in pastry, Dr Rogers said.

She served wellingtons with mashed potato and greens and gave her guests four large grey dinner plates, while she ate her meal off a different small tan-coloured plate, the jury was told.

More to come.

This article was originally published on April 30, 2025 and has since been updated with new information.

Feature Image: AAP/Getty.