Hi,
I also bit the bullet and sent her in to a 'VW specialist'.
In short they changed out MAF sensor (@ ~ £75) and the water Temp sensor @ £23, which I thought was V steep (from GSF I think). (He reckoned it was reading 20deg C out, but I'm not sure I believe that!!)
Also cleaned out (once again) the throttle housing/assy.
Good news is its running very sweet.
Normally I'd have done them one at a time, so unfortunatley I still don't know which bit was really the solution.
FYI. He reckons that MAF sensor is a common fault and 'recommends' that any VW over 6years old to have a new one fitted anyway (which sounds like a good ploy for him!)
Thanks for info and good luck.
LM