This paper describes a method for the determination of apparent viscosity of shear thinning liquids using a wide gap, double concentric cylinder (DCC) geometry. The approximate theory used with DCCs that have very narrow gaps is shown to lead to inaccurate results when applied to a geometry with wider gaps. Reasons for the inaccuracy are explained and a numerical procedure is described with which it is possible to characterise apparent viscosity more accurately. The procedure is demonstrated by comparing results obtained with a wide gap DCC with those obtained in other geometries for two shear thinning liquids containing no particles. Results are then presented for a concentrated orange juice and for a soup, over a range of temperatures. The results indicate that the procedure developed can be used to give repeatable results for liquids containing small particles. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.