One of the top Scottish ice cream brands is looking for 600 volunteer taste testers this weekend.

Sweet-toothed fans of Mackie's will be given a behind the scenes look into how its products are prepared for public release through blind taste tests.

At the Royal Highland Show (RHS) this weekend, the company is looking to gather feedback and competitor analysis on its new milk chocolate recipe as well as comparing its real dairy ice cream with an oil-based brand.

Teaming up with Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), the team will use a mobile sensory lab which is a lorry equipped with 12 illuminated test testing pods.

Karin Hayhow, marketing director at Mackie's, said: "This might well sound like an excuse for lots of fun - but we really do need a wide range of people to give us feedback on the taste of our products.

"We always try to do something special for the RHS as it's an integral part of the Mackie's business, so we're thrilled to be invited to participate on board the SRUC's amazing new facility.

"Hopefully the participants will enjoy getting a peek into the behind-the-scenes process of testing products before they are released on to the market."

Dr Neil Clelland of SRUC said: "The fact that we own high-end testing equipment which we can take anywhere with us is incredible.

"The ability given to our researches to go out to the public is of paramount importance as it opens up for more research to be collected.

"It gives us a chance to learn more about the consumers' food preferences and distinguish between different groups of people to ensure that they receive the best possible products.

The RHS takes place from Thursday until Sunday in Ingliston and Mackie's sensory taste tests will run in 90-minute blocks from 11:00am untill 12:30pm on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.