Privacy Policy

1. What information we collect

We may collect the following types of information:

• Account and order information: name, email address, phone number, delivery address, and order details when you place an order or register
• Cook profile information: business name, contact details, location, compliance documentation, and listing content
• Communications: messages sent through the platform's messaging and enquiry tools
• Payment information: we do not store payment card details directly. Payments are processed by Stripe, which has its own privacy policy
• Usage information: how you interact with the platform, which may include browser type, device, and pages visited

2. How we use your information

We use your information to:

• process and manage orders placed through the platform
• connect customers with cooks and facilitate order communications
• send order confirmations, updates, and support communications
• review and approve cook applications and compliance information
• prevent fraud, misuse, and unauthorised access
• resolve disputes, complaints, and support requests
• improve and develop the CookVillage platform
• comply with applicable legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information to third parties.

3. Legal basis for processing

We process your personal information on the following legal bases:

• Contract performance: to process orders and deliver the services you request
• Legitimate interests: to operate and improve the platform, prevent fraud, and provide customer support
• Legal obligation: to comply with applicable laws and regulations

4. Third-party services

We use trusted third-party providers for transactional emails, hosting, infrastructure, and platform operations. This includes:

• Stripe: payment processing. Stripe handles card data directly and is PCI-DSS compliant
• Other service providers: transactional emails, hosting, and infrastructure necessary to operate the platform

These providers have their own privacy policies and process data only as necessary to deliver their services to us.

5. Data sharing

We may share your information in the following circumstances:

• With cooks: relevant order information, including contact or fulfilment details where necessary, may be shared with the relevant cook to fulfil your order
• With service providers: as described in section 4 above
• For legal reasons: where required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of CookVillage, our users, or the public

6. Data retention

We retain your information for as long as necessary to provide our services, resolve disputes, comply with legal obligations, and maintain records for operational purposes. Order records are retained for a reasonable period to support dispute resolution and financial record-keeping requirements.

You may request deletion of your personal data (see section 7 below).

7. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• access the personal data we hold about you
• request correction of inaccurate information
• request deletion of your personal data (subject to legal and operational retention requirements)
• object to or restrict certain types of processing
• request a copy of your data in a portable format
• lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us via the Contact page.

8. Cookies

CookVillage uses session storage and local storage to maintain your basket, login session, and order tracking across the platform. These are functional and necessary for the platform to work correctly. We do not currently use third-party advertising or tracking cookies.

9. Security

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. Payment processing is handled by Stripe, which is PCI-DSS compliant. No system is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security of data transmitted over the internet.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices or legal requirements. Updated versions will be published on this page with a revised date.