It's already that time of the year again where we carefully scroll through hundreds of events to find (and decide on) the best events to attend at the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival. There are so many and it's so hard to choose just a few!

Loretta McGill, Founder of Food and Friendship Social network Let's Meet At shares her picks for the best events that you wouldn't be able to experience outside the festival. 

Here we go... This is hungry work!

1. HEAT Homeless Longest Lunch at Luna Park in St Kilda

HEAT homeless Longest Lunch is celebrating its 10 year. The three course lunch is designed and delivered by HEAT's Patron Guy Grossi and HEAT's Executive Chef Arnold Greiner and training students.

HEAT is a 12 week pre-employment hospitality training program for young people delivered by the Melbourne City Mission.

The afternoon has it all with guest appearances from celebrity chefs and local bands. It's an opportunity to come together with members of the homeless community and celebrate MFWF and raise awareness about homelessness.

When: 12:00pm, Friday 31 March
Where: Luna Park St Kilda
Cost: $55
Click here for tickets

You can also get involved by shouting someone lunch, a rare treat for those doing it tough by visiting hhllunch.org.au

2. Relationship with land and sea

We are so lucky in Melbourne to have both the land and sea as a food source... I really wanted to write 'sauce'... 'Relationship with Land and Sea' celebrates the relationship with farmers, growers and supplies.

The event is a 4 course lunch perfectly paired with wines from award-winning family run estate Chalmers Wines. The dishes are created by two-hatted chef, Dylan Kemp (Royal Mail Hotel, The Point), using produce from providores Sher Wagyu, Ocean Made Seafood, Signature Oysters and Yarra Valley Farms.

This is one taste sensation you can't go past.

When:12:00pm, Saturday 1 April & Saturday 6 April
Where: Dutchess Melbourne
Cost: $98
Click here for tickets

3. It's All About Bubbles - A Celebration of Sparking Wine (regional)

You can't have a celebration without bubbles...at least not in my rule book. My regional pick is all about bubbles from some of Victoria's best produces.

Sip bubbles over a meal from canapes to dessert. You'll get to experience how the textural grace of the bubbles makes fascinating and delightful combinations with food. You will even discover the art of sabreage... so much fun!

When: 12:30pm, Sunday 2 April
Where: Mitchell Harris Wines, Ballarat
Cost: $143
Click here for tickets

4. Late Night Bar Crawl

It was very hard to find a crawl and bite that wasn't already sold out or close to selling out. So not to disappoint you, I've found one that's hard to resist. It features three of the top cocktail bars in Melbourne so you'll be set for a warming night!

The guided bar crawl kicks off well after dark at Whiskey & Alement (hello boilermaker!!) then onto the ever so theatrical Eau de Vie and Romeo Lane.

If you're feeling peckish you're in for a treat with a little bite to eat matched with each drink. YUM!

When: 11:00pm, Tuesday 4 April
Where: Starting at Whiskey & Alement
Cost: $98
Click here for ticket.

5. Hoaxed an April Fools Event

We all have secrets and TV chef George Calombaris is keeping his secrets under wraps until the MFWF, Hoaxed an April Fools Event.

The event promises that nothing will be as it seems, you should expect the unexpected! Not your usual The Press Club experience.

I want to tell you more about the event but they really are keeping it a surprised... very intriguing!

When: 12:00pm, 5:30pm & 8:30pm Saturday, 1 April
Where: The Press Club
Cost: $110 - $255
Tickets: Bookings for this event don't use MFWF online booking system. Book by calling 03 9677 9677 or email enquiries: reservations@thepressclub.com.au

Click here to view the MFWF full event post.

WILD CARD: Feast & Make Like a Viking

I saw this one and thought, what they hell, let's throw it into the mix... maybe I've watched too many episodes of the TV show Vikings! Anyway, this event gets really interesting - it's a twilight feast & buttermilk cheese workshop...cheese!

The event combines traditional Nordic cooking techniques with recipes using Victorian native bush ingredients. As day turns into night, the event will transform into a Nordic harvest festival - a celebration of good health, good food and long life... sounds pretty cool ha!

If you're after something a little different or you're like me and you've watched too many feasts on Vikings and really want in on the magic, this is the event for you!

When: 6:30pm Saturday 1 April or 4pm Sunday 2 April
Where: Henry & The Fox
Cost: $100
Click here for tickets 

*At the time of this article, tickets were available for all listed events.

Loretta McGill is the Founder of Let's Meet At, a web app that helps you make new friends by connecting you through a mutual love of food. To connect with people in your local area visit www.letsmeetat.com.au