Last updated 5 November 2026
Who we are
Merrivane Bakery is a small home bakery. We decide how your personal information is used on merrivanebakery.com, which makes us the “controller” under UK data protection law (UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018).
Questions about your information? Email merrivanebakery@gmail.com.
The short version: we only collect what we need to bake and deliver your order and run your account. We don’t sell your details, we don’t send newsletters, and the site has no advertising or tracking cookies.
What we collect
When you order
- Your name, email address, phone number and, for delivery, your address and postcode.
- What you ordered, the date you chose, how you paid (but not your card details) and any discount you used.
- Anything you write in Special Requests / Allergens, and any photos you add to a custom order.
If you create an account
- Your email address and password. The password is stored scrambled (“hashed”), so even we can’t see it.
- Details you save to speed up checkout (name, phone, address).
- Your order history, loyalty stamps and rewards, and whether you’ve used your welcome discount.
If you enquire about a cake
- Your name, email, phone, the date and occasion, the cake you’d like, your budget and any inspiration photos you attach.
- Our quote, what you’ve paid and the bake date.
If you leave feedback
- Your name, email, rating and comments, plus your town if you choose to give it.
- Your internet (IP) address and browser type, which we use only to stop spam and repeated submissions.
- Any photos you add. If we put your review on our website, the first photo may show with it.
Allergy and health information
If you tell us about an allergy or dietary need, that counts as health information. We only collect it because you choose to tell us, and we use it only to make your order safely.
Why we use it
The law asks us to name the legal reason (“lawful basis”) for each use:
| What for | Legal reason |
|---|---|
| Making, delivering and taking payment for your order; answering your cake enquiry | To carry out our contract with you |
| Running your account, loyalty card and welcome discount | To carry out our contract with you |
| Order emails (confirmations, collection details, payment links) | To carry out our contract with you |
| Using your allergy information to make your order safely | Your explicit consent (you chose to tell us) |
| Showing your review on our site | Our legitimate interest in sharing honest reviews. You can ask us to remove it at any time. |
| Stopping spam, fraud and misuse of offers (for example checking whether an email has ordered before) | Our legitimate interest in protecting the business |
| Keeping sales records | The law (tax and accounting rules) |
We don’t send marketing emails or newsletters, and we don’t use your information for advertising.
How long we keep it
- Order and payment records: 6 years, because tax law requires it.
- Your account: until you delete it. You can do that yourself in My Account. Order records from the account are still kept for the 6 years above.
- Cake enquiries you don’t go ahead with: up to 1 year, so we can pick up the conversation if you come back.
- Photos for a custom order or cake: until your order is done. Ask us and we’ll delete them sooner.
- Feedback and reviews (and their photos): until you ask us to remove them.
- Emails you send us: as long as we need them to deal with what you asked, and no more than 6 years.
Your rights
You can ask us to:
- show you the information we hold about you
- correct anything that’s wrong
- delete your information (except what the law makes us keep)
- stop or limit how we use it
- send you a copy in a format you can take elsewhere
- withdraw your consent (for example to your review being shown or to us holding your allergy notes)
Email merrivanebakery@gmail.com. It’s free, and we’ll reply within one month.
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your information, please tell us first so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk or 0303 123 1113.
Cookies & browser storage
We don’t use advertising, tracking or analytics cookies, so you won’t see a cookie banner here. The site saves a few small things in your own browser to make it work:
| What | Why |
|---|---|
| Your basket | So the bakes you’ve picked are still there when you come back. |
| Your login | Keeps you signed in to your account. |
| Pop-up reminders | So the sign-up offer and loyalty-card pop-ups don’t keep repeating. |
| Feedback form choice | Remembers which bake you were reviewing. |
None of it is shared with anyone, and you can clear it at any time in your browser settings (it will empty your basket and sign you out). If we ever add analytics or advertising, we’ll ask your permission first.
Children
Our website and accounts are for adults. If you’re under 16, please ask a parent or guardian to order for you.
Changes to this policy
If we change how we use your information, we’ll update this page and the date at the top. If a change is big, we’ll tell account holders by email.