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Tastier Beetroot A major UK beetroot producer wanted to test the effect of a new cooking method on the quality of cooked beetroot.

The problem: The Yorkshire-based Regional Food Group wanted to find points of potential differentiation for locally grown asparagus compared with imports from Europe and South America.

The problem: A UK grower of fresh produce asked MacTavish:West to review market opportunities, techniques and equipment for making an essential oil from their waste crop and related by-products.

The problem: Do organic herbs taste better, worse or as good as non-organic herbs? A large protected UK grower of tomatoes, cucumbers and pot herbs asked MacTavish:West to assess and describe the sensory properties of fresh pot herbs of three species: basil, parsley and coriander, grown either conventionally or organically, and to make recommendations for improving the flavour of pot-grown coriander. Being able to supply flavoursome pot herbs, grown organically, would open up new retail opportunities for the supplier.

The problem: How to prove one strawberry tastes better than another. Hargreaves Plants (Lincs, UK) asked MacTavish:West to try and find points of difference for one of their strawberry plant varieties, enabling them to promote the variety to strawberry producers and supermarkets. Hargreaves Plants (www.hargreavesplants.com) is a wholesale supplier in the East of England specialising in soft fruit and asparagus plants.