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Biochemical genetics can be traced back to Mendel as demonstrated by the Cell paper of Cathie Martins group published some 30 years ago. Whilst this is a serendipitous association given that he was looking at visible phenotypes. It sets the scene for what biochemical genetics was. Screening was based on easily scoreable traits and only those enzymes and transcription factors effecting these were uncovered. These days rapid molecular and metabolic phenotyping have put paid to this limitation. In my talk I will explain how this has allowed us to screen natural variance of complex branched pathways taking phenylpropanoid metabolism of the Solanaceae as a case study.