Food at La Ferme is all the more tasty for the fact that it’s seasonally sourced from the other side of the Channel.

You can see what is going to be served up in the little delicatessen adjoining the dining room of the intimate French bistro.

Tucked away around the corner from Clerkenwell’s lively Exmouth Market, La Ferme was opened by François Guerin and Jimmy-elie Maury, who wanted to take the next step with their market business after running food stalls all over London for years.

Ingredients for each dish arrive through their trusted suppliers, and they have a close connection to Paris’ Rungis Market – a gastronomic haven for French restauranteurs and culinary masters.

With stripped-back wooden shelves, lights hanging off ropes, tables made out of tree trunks, woven baskets and a cattle harness as decoration, there’s a rustic feel to the place.

La Ferme feels homely and unpretentious, but the food is certainly top notch. Testament to that fact is that on the night we visit it’s full with French diners – the most discerning of customers.

The autumn menu has just launched and offers the full French dining experience, with the likes of foie gras and snails.

I opted for the poached scallops for starters, priced at £12, which came on a bed of stunning emerald spinach coulis, while the creamy mushroom soup my dining partner ordered, priced at a very reasonable £5, had a real zing thanks to the 18-months-aged Comté cheese.

For main course, the traditional campagnard pork belly cassoulet was a delight with chestnuts, which are in season. My veal fillet with cepe mushrooms and glazed carrots just melted in the mouth.

For desert the poached pear on a nut base had a hint of cinnamon and was subtly sweet and refreshing, while the delicious creaminess of the red pepper parfait and pistachio meringue offset the tart plum compote.

All in all, La Ferme comes out top for typical, refined French cuisine at a very reasonable price.