Can an idea which began in France change the way we do the weekly shop?

When it comes to food, the French generally know best. It was they who gave the world macarons, pain au chocolat and Raymond Blanc and they might just have come up with a revolutionary idea which will change the weekly food shop.

La Ruche Qui Dit Oui, which translates as The Hive That Says Yes began across The Channel five years ago. The premise was simple - gather together the best local producers, advertise their wares on a central website where customers can order and pay online, then organise a weekly collection point.

There were a number of obvious benefits. The producers got 80 per cent of the cost of every loaf of bread or box of vegetables sold, compared to the 15 to 25 per cent they might expect if taken on by a big supermarket. The average distance travelled from producer to customer was just 26 eco-friendly miles and the customer saved money with organic vegetables ending up around a third of the usual price.

Such was the success of the scheme, that it arrived in this country a couple of years ago. The French name was ditched in favour of the rather more straightforward and sensible Food Assembly, but the philosophy was exactly the same.

So far around 60 groups are either up and running or in the pipeline and this week saw the first one launch in West Yorkshire.

“It’s the perfect way to support local businesses and boost the area’s food economy,” says Carol Longbottom, host of Halilfax’s newly launched Food Assembly. “Members place their order online and then once a week all the producers get together to fulfil those orders, which can then be collected during a two hour pop-up market.

“It’s great for producers. They set their own prices, of which they receive more than 80 per cent. Added to that they know exactly what they’ve sold before they set out so they don’t need to over harvest or guess customer requirements. And they don’t have to stand on a cold, we and windy market stall all day with no guaranteed sales.

“Really it takes the best of online shopping, but has an added personal touch as when people come to collect their order they can actually meet the people they are buying from. It’s a 21st century solution to sourcing food, which is grown and bred sustainably, by people in your own area.”

Across the UK, the Food Assembly network now boasts around 10,000 members and at last year’s BBC Food and Farming Awards it was named the Best British Food Initiative.

The rules which govern how each assembly is run are simple - there is a maximum 150 mile radius for food sold and while the produce doesn’t have to be exclusively organic there is a strong emphasis on small scale enterprise. In Halifax that means freshly baked loaves from Love Bread, home-cooked Italian food from La Cucina di Francesca and home-reared lamb and beef from KLS Farm Meats.

While it’s early days yet for the Halifax group, which operates out of All Saints Parish Hall, if the evidence of other assemblies across the country is anything to go by it’s proof that sometimes the simplest ideas are the best.

Frustrated with city life in London, four years ago Lisa Payne moved to rural Cheshire where she now runs the four-acre market garden Oakcraft Organics and last year joined the local Food Assembly.

“Aside from my local veg box scheme and farmers markets, it is my main outlet for selling my produce,” she says. “When you harvest for a market it’s always a bit of a risk whether you sell it or not. This way there is no waste. Getting to know the customers through the weekly collection means we have become a real community.”

For more details of the Food Assembly network go to thefoodassembly.com