Australia mushroom trial: Lunch cook tells trial meal was 'special'

Erin Patterson denies intentionally putting toxic fungi into a home-cooked meal to kill her relatives.

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Erin Patterson has pleaded not guilty to murdering three people and attempting to kill another at her home in regional Victoria in July 2023.

The 50-year-old says it was a tragic accident, and that she never intended to hurt family members she loved. But prosecutors argue Ms Patterson put poisonous fungi into their food in a carefully crafted plot to kill them.

On Friday, the court heard it was "unusual" for Ms Patterson to host such an event at her house, and she was quizzed about her relationships with her guests.

Ms Patterson's in-laws, Don and Gail Patterson, both 70, along with Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson, 66, all fell ill and died days after the lunch.