While the world reels from the shocking conviction of Erin Patterson—found guilty of murdering three family members with poisonous mushrooms—another tragic story involving deadly fungi has resurfaced.
This one, however, wasn’t a crime. It was a heartbreaking accident involving celebrated author Nicholas Evans, best known for The Horse Whisperer, who once unknowingly poisoned his own family with wild mushrooms he thought were safe.
A Writer’s Retreat Turns Into a Nightmare
It was summer 2008 when Evans was staying at Altyre House, a grand 13,000-acre estate in Scotland owned by his brother-in-law, Sir Alastair Gordon-Cumming.
Confident in his knowledge of wild mushrooms, Evans picked what he believed to be chanterelles and porcini—both edible and commonly enjoyed by foragers.
Excited, he cooked them with butter and parsley and served the meal outdoors to himself, his wife Charlotte, his brother-in-law Alastair, and sister-in-law Louisa.
But what he’d actually served was a deadly species called Cortinarius speciosissimus, or the “deadly webcap.”
The Symptoms Creeped In Slowly
The following day, everyone initially felt fine.
But soon, Alastair and Charlotte began vomiting and experiencing severe diarrhea.
By the afternoon, Evans also fell ill. Realizing something was seriously wrong, he checked a mushroom guidebook—only to find a chilling match with the “deadly poisonous” variety.
Doctors confirmed the danger and rushed the family to hospital.
They were transferred to Aberdeen’s Royal Infirmary, where all four adults were put on dialysis.
Evans would later describe it as the most horrific experience of his life, even preparing his will during his lowest moments.
Kidney Failure Changed Everything
The toxic mushrooms had irreversibly damaged the kidneys of Evans, Charlotte, and Alastair.
Only Louisa, who ate the least, escaped without long-term consequences.
In the months that followed, Evans underwent dialysis five hours every other day just to survive. Charlotte and Alastair had similar grueling routines.
Evans shared the physical and emotional toll in later interviews—how he was always thirsty, how he lost two stone in weight, and how he couldn’t even urinate.
“I dream about peeing,” he said candidly, “and then wake up heartbroken when I realize it’s not real.”
A Daughter’s Life-Saving Gift
Three years into dialysis, Evans’ heart began to suffer from the strain.
That’s when his daughter, Lauren, stepped in.
Despite his initial reluctance, she convinced him to accept her kidney in a live donation surgery at Hammersmith Hospital in London. It saved his life.
He called her his angel, saying that “gratitude is a completely inadequate word.”
Charlotte also eventually received a kidney—donated by the mother of her son’s best friend.
Life After Tragedy
Charlotte, a creative force in her own right, returned to life with renewed energy.
After her transplant in 2012, she said she felt better than before the poisoning—crediting the youthful kidney for her health.
Despite the long road of recovery, both Nicholas and Charlotte went back to living full lives.
Evans continued to write, and Charlotte pursued her passions in music, fashion, and production.
Her label, House of Comyn, specialized in vintage-inspired clothing.
A Cautionary Tale Revisited
The tragic poisoning came back into the spotlight following Erin Patterson’s recent conviction in Australia.
Patterson was found guilty of deliberately serving beef Wellington laced with amanita phalloides, or “death cap” mushrooms, killing her former in-laws Don and Gail Patterson and aunt-in-law Heather Wilkinson.
Heather’s husband Ian survived after weeks in critical care.
Unlike Evans, whose poisoning was a tragic error, Patterson’s case was ruled a calculated act—making the comparison between the two stories all the more haunting.
Reflections from a Survivor
Before his death from a heart attack in 2022, Evans often reflected on how the incident changed him.
He didn’t believe in fate or messages from the universe, calling the event a “stupid accident.”
But he acknowledged it altered his perspective on life forever.
“We don’t take anything for granted,” he once said.
And with stories like his—where a simple lunch turned into a life-altering experience—it’s easy to understand why.