Food is surely the second greatest pleasure in life after lazy mornings spent sleeping in. This weekend at Melbourne’s Albert Park it’s all about quality cuisine at the annual Taste of Melbourne festival.

A range of exhibits provide gourmands and sundry visitors the chance to taste the best Melbourne’s food culture has to offer. The Country Kitchen exhibit will feature local chefs and regional farmers, offering patrons the chance to learn about where their food comes from and to watch culinary demonstrations.

The art of juice-making is celebrated at the Phillips Juice Academy, while the Dilmah Chef’s Skillery in association with Australian Gourmet Traveller and the Lurpak Cookery School will host cooking demonstrations.

The annual Taste of Melbourne festival is held in Albert Park (Image: Taste of Melbourne)

Further cooking shows are on offer at the Canon Taste Kitchen, while the new Tasmanian Pavilion recognises the gastronomical delights from Australia’s southernmost state.

A number of Melbourne restaurants are also participating in this year’s festival, including Spanish bar Bomba, Italian-specialty Sarti, nouveau-Asian Longrain and acclaimed Indian-fusion venue Tonka.

Taste of Melbourne opened yesterday and runs until Sunday. For more information or to buy tickets to reserved events, please visit Taste of Melbourne’s website.