Last updated: October 8, 2026
Holmes Cooks is a family recipe blog run by Scott and Lauren Holmes in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit holmescooks.com, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the choices and rights you have. We wrote it to be read, not skimmed past, so we've kept it as plain as we can.
The short version: you can read every recipe without telling us anything about yourself. We use a small set of tools to keep the site secure, block spam, understand which recipes people read, and send our newsletter to people who ask for it. We don't sell your personal information, and we don't run display ads.
Who we are and how to reach us
Holmes Cooks is operated by Scott Holmes, who is the "controller" of your personal information for purposes of the EU and UK General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). For any privacy question or request, email sc***@*********ks.com or use our contact form. We're located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA.
What we collect and why
Information you give us
- Comments and recipe ratings. When you leave a comment or star rating, we collect the name, email address, and (optionally) website you enter, plus your comment, rating, IP address, and browser user-agent string. Your name, website, comment, and rating are shown publicly; your email address and IP address are not. We use this to publish and moderate comments and to filter spam.
- Contact form. When you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, message, and phone number if you choose to give it. The form sends your message to our email inbox so we can reply. It is not saved in a database on the site.
- Newsletter. If you subscribe, we collect your email address (and your name, if the form asks for it) and send it to our email service, Mailchimp, which delivers the newsletter. Every email includes an unsubscribe link.
Information collected automatically
- Security and spam protection. Like most websites, our server and security tools record your IP address, browser type, the pages you request, and the time of each request. We use this to block attacks, prevent spam, and keep the site running. Our security plugin (Wordfence) and anti-spam service (CleanTalk) process this information for those purposes only.
- Analytics (only with your consent where required). We use Google Analytics to understand which recipes are popular and how people find the site. It collects information such as the pages you view, how long you stay, the site that referred you, your general location (city or region, based on your IP address), and your device and browser type. We do not use it to identify you personally.
- Pinterest tag (only with your consent where required). We use the Pinterest tag to measure how many people visit Holmes Cooks after seeing one of our pins. It tells Pinterest that a browser visited our site and which pages it viewed. Pinterest may link that to a Pinterest account and use it to measure and personalize ads on Pinterest.
- Cookie consent records. When you make a choice on our cookie banner, we keep a record of that choice and the date, with your IP address fully masked, so we can show that we respected it.
- Embedded content. Some pages include fonts loaded from Google Fonts and videos embedded from YouTube (in its privacy-enhanced mode). When your browser loads them, Google receives your IP address and basic browser information. YouTube does not set cookies until you play a video.
We don't knowingly collect sensitive information (such as health, financial, or government ID information), and we ask that you not include it in comments or messages.
Cookies and similar technologies
Cookies are small text files a website stores in your browser. We use two kinds:
- Necessary cookies keep the site working and secure. They don't require consent and can't be switched off from our banner, though you can block them in your browser settings.
- Analytics and marketing cookies are set by Google Analytics and the Pinterest tag. We don't set these until you choose "Accept All" on our cookie banner, or turn them on under "Preferences." If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track signal, we treat it as a refusal. You can change your choice at any time with the "Cookie Settings" button at the bottom of every page.
| Cookie | Set by | Purpose | Type | Expires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| wpl_user_preference and related wpl_* cookies | WP Legal Pages cookie banner | Remembers your cookie choice | Necessary | 1 year |
| apbct_*, ct_* | CleanTalk | Tells real visitors apart from spam bots when forms are submitted | Necessary | Session to 30 days |
| comment_author_* | WordPress | Remembers your name, email, and website for future comments, only if you tick the box on the comment form | Necessary (you choose) | 1 year |
| wordpress_*, wp-settings-*, wfwaf-authcookie-* | WordPress, Wordfence | Log-in and security for site administrators only; not set for readers | Necessary | Session to 1 year |
| _ga, _ga_* | Google Analytics | Counts visits and tells new visitors apart from returning ones | Analytics (consent) | 2 years |
| _pinterest_ct_ua, _pin_unauth, _epik, _derived_epik | Measures visits that come from Pinterest and supports Pinterest ads | Marketing (consent) | Up to 1 year |
Third parties may change the names or lifetimes of their cookies. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, and use Google's Analytics opt-out add-on. For more on cookies, see our Cookie Policy.
Our legal bases (for visitors in the EU, EEA, UK, and Switzerland)
| What we do | Legal basis under GDPR |
|---|---|
| Keeping the site secure and blocking spam | Legitimate interests (protecting the site and its readers) |
| Publishing and moderating comments and ratings | Legitimate interests (running a recipe community); you choose whether to comment |
| Replying to contact form messages | Legitimate interests (answering you); steps you ask us to take |
| Sending the newsletter | Consent, which you can withdraw by unsubscribing |
| Google Analytics and the Pinterest tag | Consent, through our cookie banner |
| Loading Google Fonts and embedded YouTube videos | Legitimate interests (displaying the site and its content) |
| Keeping a record of your cookie choice | Legal obligation (showing that we asked for and respected consent) |
| Keeping backups and complying with the law | Legitimate interests; legal obligation where one applies |
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we have weighed them against your rights, and you can object at any time (see "Your rights" below).
Who we share information with
We share personal information only with the service providers that help us run the site, and only for the purposes described here:
- Our web host, which stores the site, its database, and server logs.
- Google (Google Analytics, Google Fonts, and YouTube). See Google's Privacy Policy and how Google uses information from sites that use its services.
- Pinterest (the Pinterest tag). See Pinterest's Privacy Policy.
- Mailchimp (Intuit), which sends our newsletter. See Intuit's Privacy Statement.
- CleanTalk, which checks comments and form submissions for spam.
- Wordfence (Defiant, Inc.), which provides firewall and security protection.
- WP Legal Pages (WPEka), which provides our cookie banner and consent records.
- Our email provider, which delivers contact form messages and replies.
We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect the safety or rights of our readers, ourselves, or others, or as part of transferring the site to a new owner (in which case this policy would continue to protect your information). We don't sell personal information, and we don't share it with data brokers.
Our recipes link to other websites, such as product pages and other food sites. We're not responsible for their privacy practices, so please review their policies.
International transfers
Holmes Cooks is based in the United States, and our service providers process information in the United States and other countries. If you're visiting from the EU, EEA, UK, or Switzerland, your information will be transferred to the United States. Where required, these transfers rely on the EU–U.S. Data Privacy Framework (and its UK and Swiss extensions) for providers certified under it, or on the European Commission's Standard Contractual Clauses.
How long we keep it
- Comments and ratings: for as long as the comment stays on the site. Comments flagged as spam are deleted.
- Contact messages: in our email for as long as needed to answer you, and generally no longer than two years.
- Newsletter: until you unsubscribe. After that, Mailchimp may keep your email address on a suppression list so you aren't emailed again.
- Analytics: Google Analytics keeps event-level data for the retention period set in our account (no more than 14 months). After that, only aggregated reports remain.
- Cookie consent records: for as long as needed to show that we respected your choice.
- Security logs: for a limited period needed to protect the site.
- Backups: site backups may contain comments and other data, and we replace them on a rolling basis.
How we protect it
The site uses encrypted HTTPS connections, a web application firewall, spam filtering, strong administrator passwords, and regular software updates and backups. No website can guarantee perfect security, but we take reasonable steps to protect the information we hold.
Your rights
Wherever you live, you can ask us to tell you what personal information we hold about you, correct it, or delete it. You can also unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time, and ask us to remove a comment. Email sc***@*********ks.com and we'll respond within 30 days. We may need to confirm it's you before acting on a request, for example by asking you to write from the email address you used on the site.
If you're in the EU, EEA, UK, or Switzerland
You have the right to access, correct, delete, or receive a copy of your personal information; to restrict or object to how we use it; and to withdraw consent at any time (this doesn't affect anything we did before you withdrew it). You also have the right to complain to your local data protection authority. We'd appreciate the chance to address your concern first.
If you're in the United States
Several U.S. states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Virginia, and others, give residents rights over their personal information, such as the right to know, access, correct, and delete it, and to opt out of its "sale," its "sharing" for cross-context behavioral advertising, or its use for targeted advertising. We extend these rights to every U.S. visitor, whether or not your state's law applies to a site our size.
- We don't sell personal information for money. However, the Pinterest tag may count as "sharing" or "targeted advertising" under some state laws. You can opt out by declining analytics and marketing cookies through the "Cookie Settings" button at the bottom of every page, by turning on Global Privacy Control in your browser, or by emailing us.
- Categories we collected in the past 12 months: identifiers (name, email address, IP address, cookie IDs); internet activity (pages viewed and interactions with the site); general location from your IP address; and the content of comments and messages you send us. We collect this from you, your browser, and the service providers listed above, for the purposes described in this policy.
- No discrimination. We won't treat you differently for using any of these rights.
- Authorized agents and appeals. You can use an authorized agent to make a request on your behalf. If we deny your request, you can appeal by replying to our response, and we'll review it again.
Global Privacy Control and Do Not Track: If your browser sends either signal, our cookie banner treats it as a choice to refuse analytics and marketing cookies.
Children's privacy
Holmes Cooks is meant for adults and isn't directed to children under 13 (or under 16 in the EU). We don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has given us personal information, email us and we'll delete it. Some recipes include alcohol and are intended only for readers of legal drinking age.
Changes to this policy
We'll update this policy when our tools or practices change, and we'll change the "Last updated" date at the top. If a change is significant, we'll also post a notice on the site, and if it affects newsletter subscribers, we'll email them.
Contact
Questions or requests: sc***@*********ks.com or our contact form.
Holmes Cooks, Scott Holmes, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA