The jury in the Victorian Supreme Court case against Erin Patterson, has been thrown a curveball on the first day of trial

The 50-year-old is accused of killing three of her relatives after serving a Beef Wellington laced with poisonous mushrooms.

The Director of Public Prosecutions yesterday dropped three other charges related to alleged attempts to kill her estranged husband.

Channel Seven's Estelle Griepink says the jury's been instructed to dismiss anything they've seen in the media before the trial - and to think with their heads - not their hearts.