Mystery surrounds

One of the biggest cliches in journalism is the intro that begins: "Mystery surrounds..."

But I'm afraid this is a situation in which no other phrase can be used.

A colleague who's taking a cookery course refused to discuss the dish she was meant to prepare last night, saying only: "It was a disaster. It didn't look like everyone else's."

Quite how a plate of chicken and green olives can go so wrong is baffling. What did she do - use crocodile and tennis balls instead?

In the style of any good hack, I shall seek answers.