Privacy Policy, Cookies and Disclosures

Privacy policy page last updated: 22 August 2026

The Tasteful Pantry is an Australian recipe website operated by me, Lindsay (also known as Elby), from Canberra, Australia. This page explains how I collect, use, store and share personal information when you visit thetastefulpantry.com (the Site), contact me, leave a comment or rating, or join my email list. It also includes the Site’s cookie, affiliate, copyright and recipe disclaimers.

If you have a question about this page or how your information is handled, contact me at enquiries@thetastefulpantry.com or through the Contact page.

Information I collect

The information collected depends on how you use the Site.

Email subscriptions

When you join the email list, I collect your email address and, if you provide it, your first name. I also record information about your subscription, such as when and how you subscribed, whether you confirmed your subscription and whether you later unsubscribed.

I use this information to send new recipes and occasional news from The Tasteful Pantry. MailPoet is used to manage subscriptions and deliver emails. Depending on the email settings and the choices available to you, MailPoet may also record delivery information and whether an email is opened or a link is clicked. You can read MailPoet’s Privacy Notice for more information.

Joining the list is optional. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in a marketing email or by contacting me. Unsubscribing stops marketing emails, although a limited record may be retained to make sure your request continues to be honoured.

Contact forms and direct messages

If you contact me, I collect the information you choose to provide, which will usually include your name, email address and message. I use it to read, manage and respond to your enquiry and to retain an appropriate record of our correspondence.

Please do not include sensitive personal information in a message unless it is genuinely necessary.

Comments and recipe ratings

When you leave a comment or recipe rating, the Site may collect the details entered in the form, such as your name, email address, website, comment and rating. It may also collect your IP address and browser user-agent information to help detect spam and protect the Site.

Approved comments, names and ratings may be displayed publicly. Your email address is not displayed. If you use an email address connected to Gravatar, an anonymised version of that address may be sent to Gravatar to check for a profile image. After your comment is approved, that image may appear beside it. You can read Automattic’s Privacy Notice for visitors for more information.

I may edit or remove comments that are unlawful, abusive, discriminatory, threatening, spam, misleading or unrelated to the post.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, the website, hosting service, security tools and analytics tools may automatically collect technical and usage information. This may include:

• your IP address;
• browser, device and operating-system information;
• approximate location, such as country, state or city;
• pages viewed, links clicked, time spent on the Site and referring pages;
• dates and times of visits; and
• security and error-log information.

Google Analytics is used to understand how visitors find and use the Site and which content is useful. Google Analytics may collect first-party cookie identifiers, device and browser information, approximate location and activity on the Site. Google states that individual IP addresses are not logged or stored by Google Analytics. You can read Google’s explanation of how Analytics safeguards data and Google’s Privacy Policy.

How I use personal information

I use personal information to:

• operate, maintain, protect and improve the Site;
• send emails that a subscriber has requested;
• manage subscriptions and unsubscribe requests;
• respond to questions and messages;
• publish and moderate comments and recipe ratings;
• understand general website use and performance;
• detect spam, fraud, malicious activity and technical problems;
• keep appropriate records; and
• comply with legal obligations or protect legal rights.

I do not sell or rent personal information.

Where applicable privacy law requires a legal basis for processing, I rely on consent for email marketing and non-essential cookies, legitimate interests for operating and securing the Site and responding to enquiries, and legal obligations where information must be retained or disclosed by law.

Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small text files placed on a device when a website is visited. The Site may use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:

• Necessary cookies: required for security, basic website functions and recording cookie choices.
• Functional cookies: remember choices or provide optional website features.
• Analytics cookies: help me understand visits and website performance, including through Google Analytics.
• Embedded-content cookies: may be used by a third-party service when embedded content is displayed or used.

CookieYes is used to display the cookie banner and record cookie preferences. Where consent is required, non-essential cookies are not used unless you accept the relevant category. You can accept, reject or select categories through the banner and change your decision later by opening the cookie settings control at the bottom of the Site.

The cookie banner provides the current list of detected cookies, their purposes, providers and durations. Browser settings can also be used to block or delete cookies, although this may affect some website functions. You can read CookieYes’s Privacy Policy for more information about its service.

Service providers and disclosures

I use service providers to run the Site. They may process information only as needed to provide their services, comply with the law, protect rights and security, or carry out another purpose described in their own privacy policies. These services currently include:

I may also disclose information if reasonably necessary to comply with a law, court order or lawful request; investigate fraud or security concerns; enforce or defend legal rights; or protect a person’s safety. If the ownership or operation of the Site changes, relevant information may be transferred as part of that change, subject to applicable law.

Overseas processing

Some service providers operate or store information outside Australia. As a result, information may be processed in countries with privacy laws different from those in Australia. I take reasonable steps to use reputable providers and appropriate privacy and security settings, but those providers control their own systems and international processing arrangements.

How long information is kept

I keep personal information only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, including:

• subscription details while you remain subscribed, followed by a limited suppression record where needed to honour an unsubscribe request;
• contact messages and related correspondence while an enquiry is being handled and for a reasonable record-keeping period afterwards;
• comments, ratings and their metadata while they remain published or are needed for moderation and spam prevention;
• analytics information according to the retention settings applied in Google Analytics; and
• technical and security logs for the period reasonably needed to investigate problems and protect the Site.

Information may remain in secure backups for a limited period after it is removed from active systems. De-identified or aggregated information that no longer identifies a person may be retained for longer.

Your choices and privacy rights

You may contact me to:

• ask what personal information I hold about you;
• request access to or correction of your information;
• ask for information to be deleted where applicable;
• withdraw consent or object to certain uses where applicable;
• unsubscribe from marketing emails; or
• make a privacy complaint.

I may need to confirm your identity before acting on a request and may retain information where the law permits or requires it. Privacy rights vary by location, and additional rights may apply under the laws where you live.

I will consider privacy concerns and respond within a reasonable time. You may also contact the privacy regulator in your country. In Australia, this is the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Security

I use reasonable administrative and technical measures to protect personal information, including reputable hosting, security software, access controls, software updates and backups. No website or method of internet transmission is completely secure, so absolute security cannot be guaranteed.

Children’s privacy

The Site is intended for a general audience and is not designed to collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided personal information without appropriate permission, contact me so I can review and remove it where appropriate.

External links and embedded content

The Site contains links to other websites and may display embedded content, including social-media posts. Embedded content can behave as though you visited the provider’s website directly and may collect data, place cookies or record interactions in accordance with that provider’s policy.

I do not control external websites and this page does not cover their privacy, security, accuracy or practices. Please review the relevant provider’s terms and privacy policy before supplying information or making a purchase.

Affiliate disclosure

Some pages may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate relationships do not determine which products I mention or what I say about them.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Affiliate partners use their own cookies, tracking and privacy practices after you follow a link to their website. A clear disclosure will also appear on a page or post containing affiliate links.

Recipe, nutrition and allergy disclaimer

Recipes and other content on the Site are provided for general information and enjoyment. Ingredients, brands, appliances, cooking times and individual circumstances vary, so use your own judgement and follow appropriate food-handling and food-safety practices.

Nutritional information is an estimate only and may change according to the ingredients, brands, substitutions and serving sizes used. I am not a doctor, dietitian, nutritionist or allergist, and the Site does not provide medical or dietary advice.

Always check product labels and make decisions suitable for your household, particularly if you are managing allergies, intolerances, pregnancy, illness or another medical or dietary concern. Seek advice from an appropriately qualified professional when needed.

Copyright and permitted use

Unless otherwise stated, the original photographs, written content, graphics and presentation of recipes on the Site are owned by The Tasteful Pantry and protected by copyright law.

You may save or print a recipe for your personal, non-commercial use and may link to a post. You must not republish a complete post, photograph or recipe instructions; remove a watermark; sell or license the content; or use it for commercial, training, dataset or automated content-generation purposes without prior written permission.

If you would like to feature a recipe or image, contact me first to discuss permission and appropriate credit.

Changes to this page

I may update this page when the Site’s practices, services or legal obligations change. The revised version will be published here with a new “Last updated” date. Material changes may also be highlighted on the Site or by email where appropriate.

Contact

For privacy requests, questions or complaints, contact:

The Tasteful Pantry
Lindsay (Elby)
Canberra, Australia
enquiries@thetastefulpantry.com
Contact page