After having traipsed through various wineries during our stay in the Hunter Valley, it was a refreshing break to drive a little further and not be faced with the dilemma of chardonnay or shiraz. Our time in Morpeth was quite short (partly due to the heat) but no less rewarding for that fact.

Morpeth is a sort of open-air museum in that it shows a traditional Aussie town from the 1850s onwards. Although it definitely caters for the tourists, it is definitely like taking a time machine back a few generations, with the quaint architecture.

Nowadays, Morpeth has a retro-chic, artsy feel to it as you can find some small fashion boutiques and the enormous craft centre in the old Campbell’s store which sells an array of locally produced goods. We picked up some jam, fudge, honey and looked at an interesting gallery (including drawings using Da Vinci’s silverpoint drawing style), tried some local ginger beer and had a nice Aussie lunch with our lizard friends.

This day coincidentally happened to be Helen’s birthday. Since the Hunter Valley is not only a playground for winelovers but foodies as well, we were spoilt for options for our customary birthday dinner. In the end, I chose Mojo’s on Wilderness, a small, intimate dining room located in Lovedale within the Valley.

The standard of produce of our main meals was exceptional. However, we both felt that in attempting to live up to the ‘Modern Australian’ tag, the main dishes were too ambitious and a bit ‘neither here nor there’. The deserts, however, were superb. Helen’s Strawberries and Cream semifreddo with honeycomb made her literally gasp with delight. The atmosphere was comfortably cosy and I do think the evening was an all-round rosy success, much like Helen’s cheeks by the end of the dinner!

The delicious strawberries & cream semifreddo

Mojo’s on Wilderness @ 84 Wilderness Road Lovedale, Hunter Valley
Mojo’s Website

Photo credits: Helen

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