Compiled by MARIE-CLAIRE DIGBY

In the mood for a Nood cuppa?

Whole, broken, fannings and dust are four grades of tea leaves, and there's no prize for guessing which goes into most teabags, not that you'd know (taste apart), unless you tore one of those little opaque bags apart. That's exactly what former Manhattan advertising agency executive Sean Moran does to demonstrate the difference between his whole leaf Nood brand teas (sold in transparent bags that are made with an all-natural cornstarch derivative), and what's in other teabags. Nood tea sources its tea leaves in India, China and Sri Lanka, and its tea-bag material in Japan. Moran, who runs the company with Jonathan Wildon, believes his teas offer a "brighter, cleaner and more refreshing cup", without the bitterness and astringency often found in bagged tea. The five varieties of Nood tea – organic green, organic coarse-cut peppermint, organic Earl Grey, everyday tea – a single estate Assam, and camomile bud, are available in Tesco, and in speciality stores such as Fresh, Cavistons, Morton's and Nolan's of Clontarf. They cost €3 for a box of 20. See nood-world.com

Young farmers

Maria and John Halley helped to launch Waterford’s Harvest Festival (September 10th-16th, which for the first time will feature a city farm. The 2012 Grow It Yourself Gathering will take place during the festival and will feature a talk given by Roger Doiron, who lobbied for the establishment of a kitchen garden at the White House.

PARTY ON

Come to a party . . . but you’ll need to bring your own food and cook it yourself. It’s an unusual invitation, but the party in question promises to be lots of fun. Grab some barbecue fodder from the fridge and head to Toners on Lr Baggot Street this afternoon for the For Food’s Sake cookout (3-7pm). Barbecues and fuel will be supplied.

Food that's all at sea

The Tall Ships are back in Dublin later this month (August 23rd-26th), and as part of the festival, a banquet for 100 people will be held in the basement vaults at CHQ in the IFSC on August 23rd. The five courses to be served at “Of The Salt Bitter Sweet Tea” have been researched by food historians and will reflect each half century of the age of sail. The event will be presented by the Graduate School of Creative Arts and Media (GradCam) and is supported by Dublin City Council Arts Office. The co-curators are Edia Connole, Martin McCabe, Lisa Godson and Mick Wilson. You can enter a competition to win two pairs of tickets to attend the banquet and join guests including crew of the Tall Ships, by answering the following question and sending your answer and contact details to tallships@gradcam.ie by next Wednesday, August 15th. The winners will be chosen at random.

The Food Thing banquet at the Tall Ships Races 2012 will have how many courses?