Australian Erin Patterson served a beef Wellington lunch that was "delicious" by all accounts, using eye fillet steak, flakey golden pastry, and the deadliest mushrooms known to man.

The keen home cook murdered her husband's parents and aunt in 2023 by spiking their sumptuous Saturday lunch with death cap mushrooms, a jury found on Monday.

For more than two months Patterson's trial has been followed around the world, the sense of intrigue fuelled by her choice of dish, method of murder, and the mystery of her motive.

The courtroom spectacle has been dubbed Australia's "trial of the century".

Patterson, 50, hosted the intimate family lunch at her tree-shaded home in the farming village of Leongatha on July 29, 2023.

The mother-of-two planned a menu to match what she said was a "special" occasion, dishing up beef Wellington, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy.

Joining her that afternoon were Don and Gail Patterson, the elderly parents of her long-estranged husband Simon.

Simon's maternal aunt Heather Wilkinson and her husband Ian, a well-known pastor at the local Baptist church, rounded out the group.

Patterson was disappointed husband Simon refused to come because he felt "uncomfortable".

Still legally married, their once-cordial relationship was showing signs of strain.

"I hope you'll change your mind," she texted in reply, to no avail.

Patterson forked out for expensive cuts of fillet steak, slathering the meat in minced mushrooms before coating it in pastry to make individual parcels of baked beef Wellington.

Death cap mushrooms are easily mistaken for other edible varieties and reportedly possess a sweet taste that belies their potent toxicity.

The guests gobbled up so much of the deadly feast they had little appetite........

© International Business Times