Terms & Conditions

1. About CookVillage

CookVillage is an online marketplace platform that connects customers with independent cooks, home cooks, and small food businesses.

CookVillage provides the platform technology, ordering tools, messaging functionality, payment processing integration, and related support services that allow customers and cooks to connect and manage orders.

Food listed on CookVillage is prepared, supplied, and fulfilled by the individual cook or food business shown on the relevant listing. Unless expressly stated otherwise, CookVillage is not the producer or supplier of the food advertised on the platform. Responsibility for food preparation, hygiene, allergen management, legal compliance, fulfilment, and supply remains with the relevant cook or food business.

2. Using CookVillage

Users must use CookVillage lawfully, honestly, and respectfully. You must not:

• provide false or misleading information
• misuse the platform or payment systems
• submit abusive, threatening, discriminatory, or unlawful content
• interfere with the operation or security of the platform
• impersonate another person or business
• use CookVillage for fraudulent or unauthorised purposes

CookVillage reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or remove access to the platform where we reasonably believe there has been misuse, fraud, repeated policy breaches, compliance concerns, or activity that may negatively affect customers, cooks, or the platform.

3. Cook responsibilities

Cooks are solely responsible for the food, products, listings, and services they provide through CookVillage. By listing or supplying food through the platform, cooks confirm they will comply with applicable food safety, hygiene, allergen, trading standards, labelling, licensing, and local authority requirements.

Cooks are responsible for:

• ensuring listings are accurate and up to date
• accurately describing ingredients, allergens, portion sizes, pricing, and availability
• maintaining appropriate hygiene and food safety standards
• accepting only orders they can fulfil
• preparing and supplying food safely and professionally
• complying with applicable laws and regulations

CookVillage may request compliance information from cooks and may suspend, hide, restrict, or remove listings or cook accounts where concerns arise regarding safety, legality, reliability, or platform standards.

4. Customer responsibilities

Customers are responsible for reviewing listing information carefully before placing an order, including dish descriptions, ingredients, allergen information, pricing, quantities, collection or delivery details, and availability.

Customers with allergies, intolerances, or specific dietary requirements should carefully review all available listing information and use the CookVillage enquiry or messaging tools to raise any concerns with the cook before ordering.

Customers are responsible for ensuring that all information submitted during checkout is accurate and complete.

5. Orders and payments

Orders placed through CookVillage require cook acceptance before becoming confirmed. When you place an order, your payment is authorised but not immediately charged. A temporary pending hold may appear on your payment method.

You are only charged once the cook accepts your order. If the cook does not accept, if the order is cancelled before acceptance, or if the authorisation expires, the hold will be released. Release timing depends on your bank or payment provider and is outside CookVillage's control.

CookVillage reserves the right to refuse, cancel, restrict, or review orders where reasonably necessary for operational, safety, compliance, fraud prevention, or platform integrity reasons.

6. Cancellations and refunds

Orders awaiting cook confirmation may be cancelled before acceptance without charge. Once an order has been accepted and preparation has begun, cancellation or refund options may be limited, particularly for fresh, made-to-order, or perishable food items.

Cancellation and refund outcomes may depend on order status, timing, preparation stage, and the nature of the food ordered. Where appropriate, CookVillage may assist in resolving cancellation, refund, or dispute issues and may request reasonable evidence when doing so.

Further information is available in our Refunds & Cancellations Policy.

7. Food safety and allergens

Food safety and allergen management are the responsibility of the cook supplying the food. CookVillage does not independently inspect, test, prepare, store, or verify food items, ingredients, kitchens, or preparation environments used by cooks.

Customers acknowledge that food may be prepared in domestic or shared kitchen environments where multiple allergens may be present, and where cross-contamination cannot be guaranteed to be absent.

Customers with allergies, intolerances, or medical dietary requirements must exercise their own judgement before ordering. They should raise concerns directly with the cook using the available messaging or enquiry tools before placing an order.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CookVillage accepts no responsibility for allergic reactions, dietary issues, or food-related incidents arising from food supplied by independent cooks or food businesses on the platform.

8. Listings, reviews, and platform content

Cooks are responsible for ensuring that listings, descriptions, photos, pricing, and uploaded content are accurate, lawful, and not misleading. Images are for illustrative purposes only and final products may vary.

Users may submit reviews, ratings, messages, or other content through CookVillage. CookVillage reserves the right to moderate, restrict, or remove content that we reasonably consider abusive, offensive, misleading, fraudulent, unlawful, or otherwise inappropriate. CookVillage is not required to publish all submitted content.

9. Messaging and communications

CookVillage provides messaging tools to assist communication relating to orders and platform activity. These tools must not be used for unlawful, abusive, threatening, discriminatory, misleading, or spam-related purposes.

CookVillage may review communications where reasonably necessary for customer support, moderation, fraud prevention, dispute resolution, or legal purposes.

10. Platform availability

CookVillage does not guarantee uninterrupted access to the platform. We may modify, suspend, restrict, or discontinue parts of the platform at any time for operational, maintenance, security, legal, or commercial reasons, and may update platform functionality, policies, or processes as CookVillage develops.

11. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability where it would be unlawful to do so, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, CookVillage shall not be liable for:

• food quality, safety, or suitability issues
• allergic reactions or dietary incidents
• acts or omissions of cooks or customers
• inaccurate listing information supplied by users
• delays, cancellations, or unavailable listings
• indirect or consequential loss
• loss of profits, business, opportunity, reputation, or anticipated savings

CookVillage is not responsible for damage, loss, injury, theft, or incidents arising from interactions between customers and cooks, including during collection, delivery, or attendance at private or business premises, except where liability cannot legally be excluded.

Where CookVillage assists with a complaint, cancellation, refund request, or dispute, this does not constitute acceptance of legal liability for the underlying transaction.

12. Privacy

Personal information is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy. CookVillage may process names, contact details, order information, communications, and payment-related information for operational, support, moderation, fraud prevention, and legal purposes.

13. Changes to these Terms

CookVillage may update these Terms & Conditions periodically to reflect operational, legal, or platform changes. Updated versions will be published on this page with a revised date. Continued use of the platform after updates are published constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

14. Governing law

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

15. Contact

Questions relating to these Terms or the platform may be directed through the CookVillage Contact page or official support channels.