Policy

Cookie Policy

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In short

This policy explains what cookies are, which ones our website sets, what each one does and how long it lasts. We keep it deliberately small: a basket cookie and a staff login cookie, which are strictly necessary, and a cookie that remembers your cookie choices. Analytics cookies are off unless you turn them on. There are no advertising cookies.

What cookies are

A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store on your device. It usually contains a short string of letters and numbers rather than anything you would recognise. When you come back to the site, or move between pages on it, your browser sends the cookie back so the site can recognise your session.

Cookies are not programs. They cannot run on your device, and they cannot read other files on it. They are also not the only technology that works this way — similar tools include local storage and pixels — and this policy covers those too.

Some cookies disappear when you close your browser. These are called session cookies. Others stay for a set period and are called persistent cookies.

The rules we follow

Cookie rules in Ireland come from the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Privacy and Electronic Communications) Regulations 2011, S.I. No. 336/2011. Regulation 5 says that information must not be stored on, or read from, your device unless you have given your consent and you have been given clear and comprehensive information, prominently displayed and easily accessible, about what the information is used for.

The Data Protection Commission, which is the Irish supervisory authority, explains that consent for cookies has to be a clear, affirmative act, and it must be freely given, specific, informed and unambiguous. In practice that means no cookie walls, no pre-ticked boxes, and no pretending that staying on the page is agreement. It also means you must be able to say no as easily as you say yes.

Regulation 5(5) contains a narrow exemption: no consent is needed for storage that is strictly necessary to carry out the transmission of a communication, or that is strictly necessary to provide a service you have explicitly asked for. Our basket cookie and our staff login cookie fall squarely within that exemption. Analytics cookies do not, which is why they need your consent.

Consent must be given before the cookie is set. That is why our analytics are switched off by default and stay off until you agree.

The categories we use

  • Strictly necessary. These make the shop work. Without them you could not keep a basket, or a member of staff could not stay signed in to the admin area. They are set without consent because the law exempts them, and they are never used for advertising or analytics.
  • Preference. This remembers the cookie choices you have made, so we do not ask you the same question on every page.
  • Analytics. These tell us which pages people visit and where they get stuck. They are optional, they are off until you agree, and you can turn them off again at any time.
  • Marketing. We do not currently use advertising or marketing cookies, pixels or tags, and we do not sell advertising space on this site.

The cookies this site sets

  • fb_cart — strictly necessary. First-party cookie set by us. Purpose: holds a random token that identifies your shopping basket, so the items you add stay in your basket as you move around the site and when you come back. Duration: 30 days, refreshed each time you use the basket. It is marked HttpOnly, so scripts on the page cannot read it, and SameSite=Lax, which limits it being sent from other sites. It contains no personal data by itself.
  • fb_admin_session — strictly necessary. First-party cookie set by us. Purpose: keeps a member of our staff signed in to the admin area so they can manage orders and stock. It is only set after a successful staff login, and it is never set for ordinary shoppers. Duration: until the staff session expires or the person signs out. It is marked HttpOnly and SameSite=Lax.
  • fb_consent — preference. First-party cookie set by us when you make a cookie choice. Purpose: stores your cookie choices so we can honour them on your next visit and so we do not show you the consent notice again. It records your yes or no for each category and the date you chose. Duration: until you change your mind or clear your browser storage. It is not used to build a profile of you. If you have never made a cookie choice on this site, this cookie is not on your device.
  • Analytics cookie — not currently set. We have built the site so that analytics is off by default. If we switch analytics on, the cookie will only ever be set after you have agreed to the analytics category, it will be listed here by name with its purpose and duration before it goes live, and you will be able to withdraw your agreement at any time.

Note

This list is kept in step with what the site actually does. If we add, remove or rename a cookie we will update this page and change the date at the top.

Cookies set by other companies

When you pay, you are taken to a payment page operated by Stripe. Stripe sets its own cookies there to keep the payment session secure and to carry out fraud checks. Those cookies are controlled by Stripe, not by us, and Stripe's privacy policy explains them. We link to it at the bottom of this page.

Our hosting and email providers may process technical data such as your IP address when your browser requests a page or when we send you an email, but they do not set cookies on your device through our site.

We do not embed third-party advertising or social media tracking pixels on this site.

Where to read more

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  • [COMPANY NUMBER TO BE CONFIRMED]
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The Data Protection Commission publishes detailed guidance on cookies and other tracking technologies, including what counts as valid consent and how the strictly necessary exemption works.

Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal data more generally, including your rights and how to complain to the Data Protection Commission.

Note

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Sources and further reading

Every legal claim on this page can be checked against the primary sources below. They open on the website of the body that publishes them.