What I collect, and what I don’t.

The short version

If you subscribe, I have your email address. If you email me through the contact form, I have whatever you wrote. Beyond that I know how many people read each page, but not which pages you read. The site itself sets no cookies. It is not currently running ads, but I am applying for Google AdSense, and if that goes live, Google’s cookies are the one exception to that, covered below.

Who is responsible

This is a personal blog written by me, Ash Carnie. I decide what happens to any information collected here, which makes me the data controller for it. You can reach me at hello@ashcarnie.com.

If you sign up to the newsletter

I collect your email address, and nothing else. You are added only after you click the confirmation link I send you, so nobody can put you on the list without your knowledge.

The list is held by Kit, an email service based in the United States, which means your address is stored outside the UK. I use it to send you the newsletter and for nothing else. I will not sell it, rent it, or pass it to anyone.

The lawful basis is your consent, which you can withdraw whenever you like. Every email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom, and using it removes you from the list. You can also email me and I’ll do it for you.

If you use the contact form

The form sends your name, email address, subject and message through Formspree, the service that delivers it to my inbox. They process it only to get your message to me, and I use it only to reply to you. I do not add you to the newsletter just because you got in touch.

When you read the site

I use Cloudflare Web Analytics to see how many people visit and which posts get read. It sets no cookies and does not fingerprint your device or browser, so it cannot follow you between sites or build a profile of you. What I see are counts and totals, never individuals.

The site is hosted by Cloudflare, and like any web host they process your IP address briefly in order to deliver pages to you and to protect the site from attacks. The lawful basis for both of these is legitimate interests: knowing whether anyone is reading, and keeping the site up.

Advertising

This site is not currently running ads. I am applying to Google AdSense, and if that is approved, this section describes what changes: Google and its advertising partners may set cookies in your browser to show ads, avoid showing you the same one repeatedly, and measure how they perform. Some of that may use information about your visits here and elsewhere to choose which ads you see.

If you’re in the UK, the EEA or Switzerland, Google shows you its own consent message the first time you visit, with a clear option to decline, before anything like that is set. Declining means you may still see ads, just not ones chosen using your browsing history. You can change your mind at any time, or manage it directly, at Google’s own Ads Settings. More on how Google uses this data is in their partner sites policy.

If you email me

Mail sent to my address is forwarded by Cloudflare into my personal inbox, which is with Google. I keep correspondence for as long as it is useful to have it, and I use it only to reply to you.

How long I keep things

Your email address stays on the list until you unsubscribe or ask me to remove it, and then it goes. Analytics are counts rather than records about people, and are not linked to you at all.

Your rights

You can ask me what I hold about you, ask me to correct it, ask me to delete it, or object to my using it. You can also ask for a copy of it. Just email me and I will sort it out. There is no charge and you do not have to give a reason.

If you think I have handled your information badly, please tell me first so I can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

Affiliate links

Some recipes and posts link to the exact products I use on Amazon. If you buy through one of those links I may earn a small amount, at no extra cost to you. Every page that has them says so on the page itself, and they’re also gathered in one place on the Favorites page.

I do not receive anything about you when you click one. Amazon will apply their own cookies and privacy policy once you are on their site, which is between you and them.

Children

This site is written for adults and is not aimed at children. Please do not subscribe if you are under 13.

Changes

If I add anything to the site that collects more than this, I will update this page and change the date below before it goes live, rather than afterwards.

Last updated 24 September 2026.