Ricky and Katrin Turvey have launched buy-LOCAL.net in Brackley which sources food suppliers within a 30-mile radius of the town, with shoppers able to buy everything from bakery items, meat, and delicatessen goods, to dairy produce, groceries and household items.

Goods can be purchased on-line and are delivered directly to customers and caterers. Packaging is kept to a minimum and any bags used are biodegradable.

Each supplier has its own virtual market stall where shoppers can read about the produce on offer while visitors to the website can find recipes and details of local events.

Mr Turvey, director of buy-LOCAL.net Brackley, said: "We are looking forward to growing our business in Brackley, Banbury and Bicester and working with local suppliers to deliver their produce alongside our shopping experience to everyone in the area.

"We believe passionately that in buying locally we are investing in our health, our local community and the environment. Recent research carried out by the IGD, formerly known as the Institute for Grocery Distribution, found for every £10 spent locally, £24 is generated for the local economy."

The buy-LOCAL.net organisation was set up in December 2005, in Bedford.
The site has won a Food Miles Hero award from Farmers' Weekly magazine.
The website can be found at www.buy-local.net.