Australia - 3 dead after eating wild mushrooms, Leongatha, Victoria, Aug 2023 #7 *Arrest*

[JBowie]

As a cook, best way was for EP to put tainted mushrooms in 1 gravy boat, Ive suggested this all along.
Evidence easily discarded;
Really simple to flush away the liquid evidence and keep her specialty Beef Wellington "perfect"
Then, make fresh gravy for herself and her kids separated in a different gravy boat.

Makes a lot of sense to me. IMO, likely served the poisoned gravy too, to make sure everyone intended for it received "a dose".

We really need to hear from the survivor.

 

[Charlot123]

As a cook, best way was for EP to put tainted mushrooms in 1 gravy boat, Ive suggested this all along.
Evidence easily discarded;
Really simple to flush away the liquid evidence and keep her specialty Beef Wellington "perfect"
Then, make fresh gravy for herself and her kids separated in a different gravy boat.

The dehydrator IMO holds all the clues (and evidence of such I'm sure)

It's still (to me) feasible she could have used the dehydrated hand-picked poison mushrooms to try and make them all unwell - not necessarily "dead".

I'll be very interested to hear the DPP case on EP - as we are all just guessing ATM.

I would have given EP more benefit of doubt if there were no prior situations with her ex-husband. Without the last mass poisoning, prior attempts (nightshades or whatever) would sound questionable as well. Together, these three situations form the pattern that raises questions. BTW, one thing I understood from all my readings about true-life poisonings is that there could be multiple side victims or even unrelated people involved. There were two situations that her ex-husband views as of a similar type. This time, he was supposed to show up for dinner but canceled. Make your own conclusions.

 

[ch_13]

I would have given EP more benefit of doubt if there were no prior situations with her ex-husband. Without the last mass poisoning, prior attempts (nightshades or whatever) would sound questionable as well. Together, these three situations form the pattern that raises questions. BTW, one thing I understood from all my readings about true-life poisonings is that there could be multiple side victims or even unrelated people involved. There were two situations that her ex-husband views as of a similar type. This time, he was supposed to show up for dinner but canceled. Make your own conclusions.

Other things EP did:

• Reporting to the hospital claiming symptoms when she was apparently wasn't actually ill
• Claiming her kids were served the exact same dish but were unaffected
• Disposing of the dehydrator and lying to police about it
• Releasing that statement to the press a month later claiming she purchased the mushrooms

After all that, it's hard to credit that this was just an unfortunate foraging accident.

 

[LordCyrus]

What is happening with this case? Why's it gone so quiet?

I don't think there will be a trial. More likely a deal to plead guilty to lesser charges. Alternatively a last moment guilty plea.

 

[JBowie]

I don't think there will be a trial. More likely a deal to plead guilty to lesser charges. Alternatively a last moment guilty plea.

That's a big call!

IMO -- and admittedly without the benefit of seeing the brief and the survivor's account -- there's no way the Crown would accept a deal on lesser charges.

Her actions and statements/stories following the event strongly suggest to me a deliberate act rather than any sort of accident.

 

[Rumination1]

That's a big call!

IMO -- and admittedly without the benefit of seeing the brief and the survivor's account -- there's no way the Crown would accept a deal on lesser charges.

Her actions and statements/stories following the event strongly suggest to me a deliberate act rather than any sort of accident.

I agree. To dispose of the dehydrator was odd. Implies she at least felt the dehydrator might implicate her. Why might she feel that ? Mmm

 

[Marg944]

7th September, 2024

“A little town with a shady past is set to make the world stage when alleged mushroom killer Erin Patterson enters the court.

The first in a series of pre-trial hearings concluded last week, with more scheduled to take place in October and again in December, before her murder trial next year.

Those hearings - the details of which cannot be published to prevent prejudicing a jury trial - are all being heard at the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne's court precinct.”

Country town at heart of murder mysteries braced for blockbuster trial

A little town with a shady past is set to make the world stage when alleged mushroom killer Erin Patterson enters the court.

www.dailymail.co.uk

 

[Charlot123]

Question to everyone who likes cooking.
I asked my husband it yesterday, as I like mushrooms and he likes cooking.
Is it possible to cook anything without trying it, at least once? That there's enough salt, that it feels spicy enough? He said, no way.

Do you think a cordon Bleu cook, or anyone with such aspirations, would ever prepare a dish without trying it in the process, at least once?

 

[Salah11]

Question to everyone who likes cooking.
I asked my husband it yesterday, as I like mushrooms and he likes cooking.
Is it possible to cook anything without trying it, at least once? That there's enough salt, that it feels spicy enough? He said, no way.

Do you think a cordon Bleu cook, or anyone with such aspirations, would ever prepare a dish without trying it in the process, at least once?

Nope that’s one of the reasons it’s so suspicious.

 

[ch_13]

Question to everyone who likes cooking.
I asked my husband it yesterday, as I like mushrooms and he likes cooking.
Is it possible to cook anything without trying it, at least once? That there's enough salt, that it feels spicy enough? He said, no way.

Do you think a cordon Bleu cook, or anyone with such aspirations, would ever prepare a dish without trying it in the process, at least once?

Yes and no. I think for it to be perfect, you want to taste as you go, so you can adjust the salt, acidity, spiciness, etc.

But, I think an experienced cook can get pretty close just from having cooked similar dishes in the past. When I make a stew for example, I usually salt early, but only about 3/4 of what I expect to need in the completed dish and then add more to taste in the end. If I'd done it blind, I think I'd still come pretty close.

Especially in a complicated dish like Beef Wellington which has so many parts. In addition to the duxelles (the mushroom spread), there's also paté, prosciutto, the tenderloin and the puff pastry. All those other ingredients would have salt too, so even if the duxelles was under- or over-salted it may not be that noticeable.

Nope that’s one of the reasons it’s so suspicious.

I think one could do it. I've heard of chefs who have to cook dishes when they are allergic to an ingredient or otherwise can't consume it.

However, it does beg the question, why would EP cook without tasting? It's not something one would do unless they had to. And if she did taste, how did she avoid getting seriously ill?

 

[Charlot123]

However, it does beg the question, why would EP cook without tasting? It's not something one would do unless they had to. And if she did taste, how did she avoid getting seriously ill?

Snipped for brevity.

I surely hope that the LE took salt and species on the table to be analyzed, too.

The easiest way would be to slightly undersalt the dish; then Erin’s guests would predictably salt their beef or sauce. Dry, powdered and tasteless toxin would be unnoticeable in the salt shaker. Everyone knows that tastes for salt and sugar are individual, and no one would be surprised if the chef put less salt into the dish. Just a thought.

 

[TootsieFootsie]

I don't think it's at all suspicious that someone might not taste what they're cooking.
Especially if you're following a recipe. Or something that you' ve cooked before that turned out ok.

I dislike having to taste, it may go back to once being anorexic.

I go by the look and the smell of the dish and also being careful with the ingredients.

I rarely taste.

 

[Marg944]

I love cooking. I try new recipes and I cook old favourites, but I couldn’t imagine cooking any meal without tasting it.

 

[Doesitmakesense]

I don't think it's at all suspicious that someone might not taste what they're cooking.
Especially if you're following a recipe. Or something that you' ve cooked before that turned out ok.

I dislike having to taste, it may go back to once being anorexic.

I go by the look and the smell of the dish and also being careful with the ingredients.

I rarely taste.

I'm with to on this. I rarely taste. The only thing I can think of that I do taste everytime is things I've added curry powder to. And the only reason I taste that is because the kids won't eat it if I've added "too much".

 

[MrsAddick]

I'm with to on this. I rarely taste. The only thing I can think of that I do taste everytime is things I've added curry powder to. And the only reason I taste that is because the kids won't eat it if I've added "too much".

Yep, I blindly follow RecipeTin Eats to the letter perhaps that’s because I only learned to cook as an adult. I’d love to be a kitchen alchemist but don’t have the confidence…that being said, never have I considered foraging for wild mushrooms and serving them up for family

 

[iamshadow21]

Yep, I blindly follow RecipeTin Eats to the letter perhaps that’s because I only learned to cook as an adult. I’d love to be a kitchen alchemist but don’t have the confidence…that being said, never have I considered foraging for wild mushrooms and serving them up for family

Probably safest. Mushrooms is one of those things you can't afford to get wrong. I've cooked all my life, but I would never forage for them, because the consequences are deadly if you misidentify. Especially with something like death caps.

 

[scapa]

I love cooking. I try new recipes and I cook old favourites, but I couldn’t imagine cooking any meal without tasting it.

Nor me.

I've been cooking since I was a bairn, and tasting early and regularly, especially with a dish that has several components that need to mesh for the dish to work, was always drummed into me as essential -- my relative, who was a trained chef, had a jar full of "tasting spoons" for that reason.

That EP, for whom presentation and praise seem to have been important, would have thrown together a Wellington (with deathcap mushrooms) without having tasted the dish seems very unlikely to me -- for reasons of cheffing (sic) and personality also.

OTOH, if you're planning to deliberately accidentally poison a family then you def avoid tasting once the deathcaps are in.

EP strikes me as someone who would have known to taste often as a matter of course -- except when the aim of a special meal was something much darker than a chef's kiss.

 

[Kasmeer]

It would never even occur to me to taste a meal while cooking it; I don't think my parents ever did when I was growing up so I never started, I wasn't actually aware non-chef people did.

I can't even see what I'd gain from it; maybe if I was an expert taster and cook I might be able to figure out if it needed more salt, herbs, whatever, but I'm not and I'd have no idea what to add/change even if I did taste a difference. Maybe a personal inability, it strikes me rather like singing - I know I'm out of tune but I don't know what direction to go to make it right; flavour is the same, I know when a meal didn't taste as good as normal, but can't tell what the difference was to change it.

Was EP a trained chef? I don't recall that being mentioned, but it's been a while since I read the early articles. I wouldn't automatically assume a non-chef to be in the habit of tasting, given just the examples in this thread (and those I've seen in my own family) of people who don't.

 

[JLZ]

She could have tasted the meal without eating enough to put herself at risk.

On the other hand, perhaps she didn't taste it, and guests noticed that it didn't taste as usual. Perhaps in the stress of preparation (allegedly murder) she forgot an important flavour ingredient. The victims had something to tell paramedics, I think I remember.

Edit: or, perhaps she deliberately "forgot" an important flavour ingredient and pushed the gravy as remedy. And didn't take the gravy herself. Variant of Charlot's "undersalting" theory.

 

[LinasK]

She could have tasted the meal without eating enough to put herself at risk.

That's what occurred to me. Without getting myself in trouble here- could she have built up some personal immunity to the toxin she was adding?