Cookies Explained

We only do good cookies

When most of us hear the word 'cookie' we can't help but think of a lovely Custard Cream or a wee Fig Roll. Sadly, that's not the sort of cookie we're talking about. In the world of digital, cookies can be very important.

Cookies are terribly helpful little things.

A cookie is filled with data files that are placed on your computer or portable device each time you visit a website.

They help websites remember certain aspects of your visit - such as any choices you've made or forms you've filled in. You must have experienced that feeling of joy after your browser has timed out and expecting to lose the entire form you've just filled in, all of the information is still there when you refresh that page! That all happens because of cookies.

Cookies remember the things you clicked on and the things you were most interested in, which can be useful too. So why is everyone going crazy about cookies all of a sudden? Well, that's what we're getting to.

In 2012, the EU unveiled new regulations affecting the use of cookies.

These regulations changed the way that websites deliver cookies, so you may have noticed that a lot of websites now ask you to accept any cookies they may drop on your computer or device.

Okay, so first things first - we do use cookies on our site.

We use what are referred to as 'enhancement cookies' and they improve your experience on our site. They also help our business understand exactly how you use our site and give us ideas about how we can make it better for you.

Here's the next big important fact that you should know. Ready? Okay. We don't use cookies to store any of your personal data.

You can decide whether you want to use the site with cookies or without in a little panel at the top of the page. Don't just click it away, read it and make sure that you're happy with the cookies each site will use on your machine.

If you're totally against using cookies, full stop - you can disable them in your browser settings. It's totally up to you, although disabling cookies may affect your browsing experience and you might not be able to access all of the services on our site.

And that would make us very sad indeed.

Now I think it's best if we both grab a coffee and raid the cookie jar, because let's face it, if you're anything like us, that's all you've been thinking about while you were reading this.