Community rules
Last updated 2 October 2026
The Dessert Detective works because people say what they really thought of what they ate. These are the rules for reviews, items and anything else you post.
Who can post
Anyone can leave a quick review of something they've eaten, or add an item a shop sells. We ask for an email address and send one link to confirm it. Your email is never shown on the site and never given to the shop.
Longer reviews with photos need a free account. Suggesting a new shop needs neither.
What makes a good review
- Something you ate or drank yourself, at that shop.
- What it was like: taste, texture, portion, price. A short note helps the next person choose.
- Honest, including when it wasn't for you. "Not for me" is a fair review.
- One review per item. If you go back and change your mind, post again and it replaces the old one.
What isn't allowed
- Reviews of things you haven't tried, or of your own shop or a competitor's.
- Abuse, threats, slurs or personal comments about staff or other customers.
- Links, phone numbers, email addresses or adverts.
- The same text posted again and again.
- Anything paid for, or written in return for a discount or a freebie, unless you say so.
- Claims about food safety or illness. Report those to the shop and your local council's food safety team, then tell us so we can look into the listing.
How we check posts
A quick review goes live once you tap the link in your email. Some are held for a person on our team to read first, for example if they contain a link, strong language or come in very quickly. Items you add are always checked before they appear on a shop's menu.
Every review has a Report link. A reported review comes off the page until we've looked at it.
Removing posts and blocking
We remove posts that break these rules. If someone keeps breaking them, we block that email address from posting and hide what it has posted.
Shops can't remove reviews or pay to change them. Owners who have claimed their shop can reply once to each review.
Your posts and your data
You can ask us to remove anything you've posted: contact us from the email address you used. With an account you can edit or delete your full reviews yourself.
Our privacy notice explains why we collect an email address and how long we keep it.