What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that a website places or reads on your computer, telephone, tablet or other device when you visit it.
Cookies allow a website to recognise a browser or device and remember certain information. For example, they can help keep you signed in, remember your preferences, protect forms from automated abuse or understand how visitors use the website.
Cookies do not normally contain the files, photographs or documents stored on your device.
Similar technologies
ChefGather may also use technologies that perform similar functions, including:
• Local browser storage;
• Tracking pixels;
• Tags and scripts;
• Device or session identifiers;
• Security tokens; and
• Links containing referral or campaign information.
In this policy, references to “cookies” include these similar technologies where appropriate.
First-party and third-party cookies
First-party cookies are placed by ChefGather through the chefgather.com domain.
Third-party cookies or technologies are provided by another service used by ChefGather, such as an Analytics, security, newsletter, advertising or affiliate provider.
Session and persistent cookies
Session cookies normally expire when you close your browser.
Persistent cookies remain for a defined period or until you remove them. They can be used to remember your settings between visits.
How We Use Cookies?
ChefGather may use cookies and similar technologies to:
• Operate the website and its main features;
• Keep registered users signed in;
• Protect accounts, forms and website systems;
• Remember cookie-consent choices;
• Remember language, display or accessibility preferences;
• Save user selections where requested;
• Understand how visitors use ChefGather;
• Detect errors and improve website performance;
• Measure the effectiveness of content and campaigns;
• Support advertising where consent has been provided;
• Record affiliate referrals where consent is required; and
• Protect the website against spam, fraud and automated abuse.
ChefGather separates cookies into different categories so that you can understand and control their use.
Essential Cookies
Essential cookies are necessary to provide a feature that you request or to operate and protect the website.
They may be used for:
• Website and server operation;
• Secure connections;
• Account authentication;
• Maintaining login sessions;
• Password and account security;
• Preventing fraud and automated abuse;
• Protecting forms;
• Remembering cookie choices;
• Saving information entered into a form during its submission; and
• Maintaining technical stability.
Because these cookies are necessary for services requested by the visitor, they cannot normally be disabled through ChefGather’s consent controls.
You may still block them through your browser. However, doing so may prevent login, forms, account features or other parts of ChefGather from working properly.
WordPress and account cookies
ChefGather is built using WordPress. WordPress may use essential cookies to:
• Test whether your browser accepts cookies;
• Authenticate registered users;
• Maintain secure login sessions;
• Protect administration and account areas; and
• Remember interface preferences for signed-in users.
The exact cookie names may contain a security code or user identifier and may therefore differ between users.
Form security
ChefGather uses JetFormBuilder to provide website forms. Essential information may be stored temporarily to validate and securely process a form submission.
Cloudflare Turnstile
ChefGather uses Cloudflare Turnstile to help determine whether a form or account request is being made by a person rather than an automated system.
Cloudflare may use security tokens or strictly necessary cookies to provide bot protection and remember whether a security challenge has been completed.
Depending on the security configuration, these may include Cloudflare cookies such as cf_clearance or other security identifiers. These technologies are used for security rather than advertising.
Cookie-consent records
ChefGather’s consent system uses an essential cookie or similar record to remember whether you accepted, rejected or customised optional cookies.
Without this record, ChefGather would need to ask for your choices on every page or visit.
Functional and Preference Cookies
Functional cookies remember choices that improve convenience but are not always required for the entire website to operate.
They may remember:
• Language preferences;
• Display settings;
• Accessibility preferences;
• Saved interface choices;
• Recipe-view preferences; and
• Other features specifically requested by the user.
Some preference cookies may be treated as essential where they are strictly necessary to provide a feature you requested. Other functional cookies will only be used with consent where required.
Rejecting optional functional cookies may cause some preferences to be forgotten between visits, but the main website should remain accessible.
Analytics Cookies
ChefGather may use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the website.
Analytics information may include:
• Pages visited;
• Approximate visit duration;
• General device and browser information;
• General geographic information;
• Referring pages;
• Website interactions;
• Technical performance; and
• Errors or navigation difficulties.
This information helps ChefGather understand which content is useful, identify technical problems and improve the website.
Google Analytics identifiers
Google Analytics may use first-party cookies such as:
• _ga; and
• _ga_<container-id>.
These cookies help distinguish browsers and sessions. The identifier does not directly provide ChefGather with your name or email address.
ChefGather will configure Analytics cookies and data retention appropriately and use Google Consent Mode to communicate visitors’ consent choices to Google.
Consent requirement
Analytics cookies will remain disabled unless you accept the Analytics category through ChefGather’s consent system.
If you reject Analytics cookies, ChefGather will not use Analytics cookies to recognise your browser.
Google documents that its _ga identifier is not stored when Analytics storage is denied through Consent Mode.
Advertising and Affiliate Cookies
ChefGather may display advertising and include affiliate links.
Advertising cookies
Advertising cookies may be used to:
• Measure advertisement views and interactions;
• Limit how often an advertisement is displayed;
• Measure campaign performance;
• Select relevant advertisements; and
• Detect advertising fraud.
Where personalised advertising is used, information about browsing activity may be used to estimate interests or create an advertising profile.
Advertising cookies requiring consent will not be activated unless you accept the Advertising category.
Affiliate tracking
Some links on ChefGather may be affiliate links. When you select an affiliate link and later complete a qualifying action or purchase, ChefGather may receive a commission without increasing the price you pay.
Affiliate technologies may record:
• That a visitor arrived through ChefGather;
• The affiliate or campaign identifier;
• The time of the referral;
• The relevant product or service; and
• Whether a qualifying purchase or action occurred.
Affiliate cookies requiring consent will remain disabled until permission is provided.
Third-Party Technologies
Third-party services may place or read cookies when their features are used and the relevant consent has been provided.
Current service categories
ChefGather uses or plans to use the following service categories:
• Hostinger for website hosting and email infrastructure;
• Cloudflare Turnstile for form and bot protection;
• Google Analytics for website measurement;
• Mailchimp for optional newsletter delivery;
• Advertising services;
• Affiliate networks; and
• Services needed to operate website features.
Third parties process information according to their own privacy and cookie policies as well as any agreement they have with ChefGather.
Mailchimp newsletters
Mailchimp may use tracking pixels and tagged links in emails to provide delivery, opening and link-interaction information where permitted.
Newsletter subscription is optional. You can unsubscribe using the link provided in each marketing email.
Embedded content
ChefGather may display content hosted by another website, such as a video, social-media feature or external tool.
The third party may attempt to use cookies when embedded content is loaded. Where consent is required, the content or its cookies should remain blocked until the appropriate choice has been made.
Changes to providers
Service providers may change as ChefGather develops. This policy and the consent system will be updated when a change materially affects cookie use or data processing.
Cookie Details and Duration
The cookies used by ChefGather may include the following:
ESSENTIAL COOKIES
WordPress authentication cookies
Purpose: Securely authenticate registered users and maintain login sessions.
Provider: ChefGather and WordPress.
Duration: Session-based or for the period selected by the user when choosing to remain signed in.
WordPress preference cookies
Purpose: Remember interface settings for registered users.
Provider: ChefGather and WordPress.
Duration: Normally up to one year.
Cookie-consent record
Purpose: Remember whether the visitor accepted, rejected or customised optional cookies.
Provider: ChefGather’s consent-management system.
Duration: Normally up to six months before consent may be requested again, unless an earlier request is necessary because the website’s cookie use changes.
Cloudflare security technologies
Purpose: Protect forms, accounts and the website from bots, fraud and malicious traffic.
Provider: Cloudflare.
Duration: Depending on the security feature, from the current session or several minutes to the period required to remember successful security verification.
Form and session technologies
Purpose: Securely validate forms and maintain necessary information while a requested action is completed.
Provider: ChefGather, WordPress and JetFormBuilder.
Duration: Normally for the current session or until the requested action is completed.
OPTIONAL COOKIES
Google Analytics cookies
Names may include: _ga and _ga_<container-id>.
Purpose: Distinguish browsers and sessions and produce website-usage statistics.
Provider: Google.
Duration: ChefGather will configure these cookies to expire within the permitted Analytics period and no later than 14 months.
Advertising cookies
Purpose: Deliver, limit, personalise or measure advertising.
Provider: The advertising partners identified in ChefGather’s consent system.
Duration: Varies by provider and is shown in the detailed cookie information available through Cookie Settings.
Affiliate cookies
Purpose: Attribute visits, actions or purchases to an affiliate referral.
Provider: The affiliate partners identified in ChefGather’s consent system.
Duration: Varies according to the relevant affiliate programme and is shown through Cookie Settings.
Functional cookies
Purpose: Remember optional display, language or feature preferences.
Provider: ChefGather or the relevant feature provider.
Duration: Session-based or for the period shown through Cookie Settings.
Current cookie list
Because cookie names and durations can change when website services are updated, the most current technical list is available through ChefGather’s Cookie Settings panel.
The Cookie Settings panel should identify:
• The cookie or technology name;
• Its provider;
• Its purpose;
• Its category;
• Whether it is first-party or third-party; and
• Its duration.
ChefGather will periodically review the website’s cookies and update the consent system and this policy where necessary.
Managing Your Cookie Choices
When you first visit ChefGather, the cookie banner allows you to:
• Accept all optional cookies;
• Reject all optional cookies; or
• Choose cookies by category.
Optional cookies must not be activated before you make an affirmative choice.
Changing or withdrawing consent
You can change or withdraw your consent at any time by selecting Cookie Settings in the website footer or reopening the consent panel.
Withdrawing consent does not make earlier processing unlawful. It prevents the relevant optional cookies from being used in the future, subject to the time needed to apply the updated choice.
You may also need to delete existing cookies through your browser if the consent tool cannot remove a cookie previously placed by a third party.
Equal choices
ChefGather’s cookie banner should present accepting and rejecting optional cookies as clear and accessible choices.
Closing the banner, continuing to browse or failing to make a selection will not be treated as consent to optional cookies.
Consequences of rejection
Rejecting optional cookies will not prevent you from:
• Browsing public recipes;
• Reading ChefGather content;
• Creating or using an account; or
• Using the principal features of the website.
Some optional preferences, embedded content or personalised features may not operate until the relevant category is accepted.
Browser Controls
Most browsers allow you to:
• View stored cookies;
• Delete individual or all cookies;
• Block cookies;
• Block third-party cookies;
• Clear cookies when the browser closes; and
• Receive a warning before a cookie is stored.
The exact controls depend on your browser and device.
Blocking all cookies may prevent login, forms, security functions and preference features from operating correctly.
Browser privacy settings do not replace the choices available through ChefGather’s Cookie Settings panel.
Changes to This Cookie Policy
ChefGather may update this Cookie Policy when:
• Website features change;
• A service provider changes;
• New cookies or similar technologies are introduced;
• Cookie durations or purposes change;
• Advertising or affiliate partners change; or
• Legal or regulatory requirements change.
The updated policy will be published on this page with a revised “Last updated” date.
Where a change materially affects optional-cookie processing, ChefGather may reset the stored choice and request consent again.
Contact Us
For questions about this Cookie Policy or ChefGather’s use of cookies, contact:
Privacy and cookie enquiries
legal@chefgather.com
General enquiries
contact@chefgather.com
Contact page
https://chefgather.com/contact-us/
Further information about how ChefGather handles personal information is available in the Privacy Policy.