Privacy Policy
Last updated: June 2026
Who We Are
Applause for the Chef (“AftC”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) operates the (currently) non-commercial website: https://applauseforthechef.com
We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly and transparently.
Information We Collect
Depending on how you interact with the website, we may collect:
- Name and email address when you contact us
- Account information when you register
- Profile information associated with your account
- Recipe submissions and uploaded images
- Comments and feedback
- Technical information such as IP address, browser type and device information
- Anonymous analytics and usage information
Comments
When visitors leave comments on the website, we collect the data shown in the comment form, together with the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help detect spam.
An anonymised string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to determine whether you use it.
The Gravatar privacy policy is available at: https://automattic.com/privacy/
After approval, your profile picture may be visible publicly alongside your comment.
Media
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images containing embedded location data (EXIF GPS).
Visitors may be able to download and extract location information from publicly available images.
User Accounts
When you create an account, we store the information you provide in your profile.
Depending on the features available on the website, this may include:
- Username
- Email address
- Display name
- Profile image
- Favourite recipes
- Collections
- Submitted recipes
Registered users may view, edit or delete their personal information at any time, except for their username where applicable.
Website administrators may also access and edit this information when necessary for site administration.
Recipe Submissions
If you submit recipes, images or other content to the website, we store the information provided within the submission.
Submitted content may be reviewed, edited and published publicly on the website.
By submitting content, you confirm that you have the necessary rights to share that content.
Contact Forms
When you submit a contact form, we collect the information you provide, including:
- Name
- Email address
- Subject
- Message content
This information is used solely to respond to your enquiry and provide support.
Cookies
This website uses cookies to improve functionality, user experience and website performance.
Comment Cookies
If you leave a comment, you may choose to save your name, email address and website in cookies.
These cookies are provided for convenience and may remain for up to one year.
Login Cookies
When you visit the login page, a temporary cookie may be created to determine whether your browser accepts cookies.
This cookie contains no personal information and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, additional cookies may be set to remember:
- Login information
- Display preferences
- User settings
Login cookies typically remain active for two days. If “Remember Me” is selected, login cookies may remain active for up to two weeks.
Content Editing Cookies
If you edit or publish content, an additional cookie may be stored in your browser.
This cookie contains no personal information and simply records the content ID of the item edited.
Analytics Cookies
We may use analytics services to understand how visitors use the website.
Analytics cookies help us measure:
- Page views
- Traffic sources
- Device types
- General visitor behaviour
These statistics are used to improve the website and user experience.
Affiliate Cookies
Some affiliate partners may place cookies when you visit affiliate links from our website.
These cookies help track referrals and may allow us to earn a commission if you make a purchase.
Social Login
The website may offer social login options through third-party providers, such as Google, Facebook or similar services.
If you choose to log in using a third-party provider, that provider may share limited account information with us, such as your name, email address or profile image, depending on your privacy settings with that provider.
We use this information to create or manage your account and allow you to log in more easily.
Your use of social login is also subject to the privacy policy and terms of the relevant third-party provider.
Embedded Content from Other Websites
Articles and pages on this website may include embedded content, such as videos, images, social media posts, maps or recipe-related content.
Embedded content from other websites behaves in the same way as if you visited the other website directly.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking and monitor your interaction with the embedded content, especially if you have an account and are logged in to that third-party website.
Third-Party Services
We may use third-party services to operate, secure and improve the website.
These may include website hosting providers, WordPress plugins and website functionality providers, spam detection services, analytics providers, cookie consent tools, social login providers, affiliate partners, and email or contact form services.
These third parties may process limited personal information only as necessary to provide their services, comply with legal obligations or protect the security and operation of the website.
Spam Detection and Security
Visitor comments, form submissions and account activity may be checked through automated spam detection or security services.
We may collect technical data such as IP address, browser type, device information and activity logs to help protect the website from spam, abuse, unauthorised access and malicious activity.
Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell your personal information.
We may share limited personal information where necessary with service providers who help us operate the website, spam detection or security providers, analytics providers, affiliate or advertising partners where applicable and subject to consent where required, and legal or regulatory authorities where required by law.
If you request a password reset, your IP address may be included in the reset email.
How Long We Keep Your Data
We keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy.
Comments and related metadata may be retained indefinitely so we can recognise and approve follow-up comments automatically.
Registered user profile information is stored for as long as the user account remains active.
Recipe submissions and published content may be retained for as long as the content remains published or needed for editorial, administrative or legal reasons.
Contact form messages may be retained for as long as needed to respond to the enquiry and maintain appropriate records.
Analytics data is retained according to the settings of the relevant analytics provider.
Technical logs may be retained for a limited period for security, troubleshooting and maintenance purposes.
Your Rights
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information, request deletion of your personal information, request restriction of processing, object to certain types of processing, withdraw consent where processing is based on consent, request a copy of your personal information in a portable format, and lodge a complaint with a data protection authority.
If you have an account on this website or have left comments, you may request an exported file of the personal data we hold about you.
You may also request that we delete personal data we hold about you. This does not include information we are required to keep for administrative, legal or security purposes.
Managing Your Account and Preferences
Registered users may access and update certain account details through their profile or account settings.
You may also contact us if you need help accessing, updating or deleting your information.
International Data Transfers
Some service providers we use may be located outside your country or the European Economic Area.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we aim to rely on appropriate safeguards, such as contractual protections, adequacy decisions or other lawful transfer mechanisms where required.
Data Security
We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
However, no website, internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Children’s Privacy
This website is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us and we will take appropriate steps to remove it where required.
Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to external websites.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content or policies of third-party websites. You should review the privacy policy of any external website you visit.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time.
Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “Last updated” date.
Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us at:
hello@applauseforthechef.com
