Cookie Policy for The Talaria UK
This cookie policy explains what cookies this site sets, why each category exists, which ones need your permission and which do not, and how to change your mind at any point. It is written for people who want a straight answer about what is running in their browser, not a legal recital, so the categories are described in the order you are likely to meet them.
Last updated 11 September 2026. This cookie policy applies to purchases and browsing on this website, thetalariauk.uk. It sits alongside our privacy policy, which covers personal data more broadly, and it does not govern other websites you reach from our links. The site is operated by The Talaria UK, and questions about this page go through our contact page.
What cookies are
A cookie, in the sense this cookie policy uses the word, is a small text file that a website asks your browser to store, and that the browser sends back on each later request. It usually holds nothing more interesting than a random identifier, which lets the site recognise the same browser from one page to the next.
That recognition is what makes a shop possible. Without it, the web is stateless: every page load looks like a brand new visitor, so a basket cannot survive a click and a login cannot survive a page. Similar technologies, including local storage, session storage and tracking pixels, do comparable jobs and are covered by this cookie policy in the same way.
The law behind this cookie policy
Two sets of rules sit behind this cookie policy. The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, usually shortened to PECR, govern the act of storing or reading information on your device. UK GDPR then governs any personal data that results. The regulator publishes plain guidance on this at the ICO guide to cookies and similar technologies.
The practical rule that shapes this cookie policy is short. Cookies that are strictly necessary to deliver a service you asked for may be set without consent. Everything else needs your consent first, consent must be as easy to refuse as to give, and you must be able to withdraw it later without penalty. Refusing everything optional never limits your ability to browse this site or to complete an order.
Strictly necessary cookies
These run because the site cannot function without them. Under this cookie policy they are exempt from consent, and they cannot be switched off from the banner, although a browser can still block them at the cost of breaking checkout.
On a WooCommerce shop the set covered by this part of the cookie policy is small and predictable. A cart cookie identifies your basket so items persist as you move around the catalogue. A session cookie holds a temporary identifier so the checkout can retrieve your basket and your progress through the payment steps. Items placed in the cart cookie are essential to ordering, which is precisely why they are exempt.
WordPress adds login and authentication cookies, which exist only if you sign in to an account. They keep you signed in between pages and protect the session against misuse. A further cookie records your choice from the consent banner itself, which is necessary because without it we would have to ask you again on every page.
Functional cookies
Functional cookies, the second category in this cookie policy, remember preferences that make the site pleasanter but are not required to buy anything: a dismissed notice, a chosen sort order or a recently viewed list.
Because they are a convenience rather than a necessity, they are set only with your consent. If you decline them, the site works exactly as before and simply forgets those preferences between visits. Nothing is hidden from you, and no product or feature becomes unavailable.
Analytics cookies
Analytics tells us which pages people actually read, where they lose patience and which routes lead to a completed order. Our analytics is served through Google Site Kit, which connects the site to Google Analytics and Search Console, and it sets its own cookies with identifiers for the visit and the visitor.
We use the result to decide what to write and what to fix. We do not use it to build a profile of you as an individual, and we do not combine it with your order history. Analytics cookies are optional under this cookie policy, and they are set only after you agree.
Marketing cookies
Marketing cookies, the category this cookie policy treats most strictly, exist to measure advertising and to show you relevant advertising elsewhere. They are typically set by an advertising platform rather than by us, and they are the category people most often want to refuse.
They are never set without explicit consent. If our advertising activity changes, this cookie policy is updated before any new cookie is placed, and the consent banner is refreshed so your previous choice is not silently reused for a purpose you never agreed to.
Categories at a glance
The table summarises how each category in this cookie policy behaves on this site.
| Category | Typical purpose | Consent needed | Typical lifespan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary: cart | Keeps items in your basket as you browse | No | Session to a few days |
| Strictly necessary: session | Links your browser to a checkout session | No | Session, about two days |
| Strictly necessary: login | Keeps an account holder signed in securely | No | Session, or longer if you tick remember me |
| Strictly necessary: consent record | Remembers your banner choice | No | Up to twelve months |
| Functional | Remembers preferences such as sort order | Yes | Session to twelve months |
| Analytics | Counts visits and measures page performance | Yes | Session to two years |
| Marketing | Measures advertising and builds audiences | Yes | Commonly up to thirteen months |
How long cookies last
Cookies are either session cookies, which your browser discards when you close it, or persistent cookies, which carry an expiry date and survive until then or until you clear them.
Checkout and login cookies are short lived by design, because a stale session is a security risk as well as a nuisance. Preference and consent cookies last months, since asking the same question every visit would be worse for you than remembering the answer. Analytics identifiers are the longest lived of the set. The lifespans listed in this cookie policy are typical rather than guaranteed, as providers change defaults from time to time.
Changing or withdrawing consent
Your choice under this cookie policy is not permanent. Open the cookie settings link in the site footer, adjust the categories and save. The change takes effect immediately: newly refused categories stop being set, and we ask the provider to drop the ones already placed.
A cookie already stored on your device can also be removed by you at any time through the browser, and that is the surest way to clear everything. If you refuse a category by mistake and later want it back, reopen the same settings panel and turn it on again. There is no penalty either way, and no part of this site becomes unavailable because you declined an optional category.
Controlling cookies in your browser
Every major browser lets you block, limit or delete cookies, and those controls override anything a website asks for, this cookie policy included. The menus move between versions, so treat these as the current route rather than a permanent address.
- Chrome. Settings, then Privacy and security, then Third party cookies and Delete browsing data.
- Safari. Settings, then Privacy, where you can block all cookies and manage stored website data. On iOS the same controls sit under Settings, then Apps, then Safari.
- Edge. Settings, then Cookies and site permissions, then Manage and delete cookies and site data.
- Firefox. Settings, then Privacy and Security, where Enhanced Tracking Protection and Cookies and Site Data both live.
- Mobile browsers. Look for a privacy section in the browser settings rather than in the phone settings, unless you use Safari on iOS.
Blocking everything will break the basket and the checkout on this site and on most others, because those functions depend on the strictly necessary cookies described above. Blocking only third party cookies is a good compromise and leaves shopping intact.
Third party cookies
Some cookies are set by another organisation rather than by us: the analytics provider, the payment provider during a card payment, or an embedded video player. We choose which of those services to use and whether they load at all, but we do not control the cookies themselves, and we cannot read what those providers store.
Each provider publishes its own policy, and that policy rather than this cookie policy governs its cookies. Where a third party service is optional, it loads only after you consent, so declining the relevant category prevents the cookie from ever being set. Our privacy policy lists the categories of recipient we work with and the lawful basis for each, and the ICO explains your wider rights at its complaints pages if you think something has gone wrong.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the shop if I refuse all optional cookies?
Yes, completely. Browsing, searching, adding to the basket, checking out and paying all depend on strictly necessary cookies, which are exempt from consent. Refusing functional, analytics and marketing cookies removes some convenience and stops us measuring the visit, but it does not restrict a single product or feature.
Why can I not switch off the necessary cookies?
Because the site cannot deliver what you asked for without them. Your basket, your checkout session and your login all rely on a browser being recognisable between page loads. PECR allows those without consent for exactly that reason. You can still block them in the browser, but checkout will not work afterwards.
Do cookies tell you who I am?
Not by themselves. Most hold a random identifier and nothing more. You become identifiable to us when you enter your details to place an order or to create an account, which is data you supply rather than something a cookie extracted. We do not combine analytics identifiers with your order records.
What happens if I clear my cookies mid order?
Your basket and checkout session are lost, and you will need to start again. An order already placed is unaffected, because it exists on our system rather than in your browser. If you are signed in to an account, log back in and any saved details will still be there.
Does this cookie policy cover the sites you link to?
No. Once you follow a link to GOV.UK, legislation.gov.uk or any other site, that site sets its own cookies under its own policy. We have no visibility of them and no control over them. Check the policy on the site you have moved to if you want to know what it stores.
How often is this page updated?
Whenever the cookies we use change, and never after the fact. If we add a service that sets a new cookie, this cookie policy is updated first and the consent banner is refreshed so that your earlier choice is not reused for a new purpose. The date at the top always reflects the latest revision.
Next steps
To change what this cookie policy allows to run in your browser, open the cookie settings link in the footer. For the wider picture on personal data, including the lawful basis for each use and your eight data rights, read our privacy policy. The commercial terms of a purchase sit in our terms and conditions, and cancellation is covered in the returns and refunds policy. For carriage, see our shipping policy.