# Getting started with recipes

## What is a recipe?

A recipe is a bespoke selection of OS NGD data which is made by a user within OS Select+Build. Recipes allow you to choose the OS NGD data that best fits your requirements.&#x20;

OS NGD data is structured by [themes, collections, and feature types](https://docs.os.uk/osngd/getting-started/os-ngd-fundamentals/terminology-and-access); the main advantage to this data structure is that you can easily find and select individual feature types across different themes and build your own recipes and data package/s containing only the data you are interested in. There's also the option to select all or only a few feature types from a single theme.

Every new recipe you create will be stored in your OS Select+Build Recipe Library. This library will be visible to other people in your organisation. It provides a central place for colleagues to view and use recipes.

## Using OS Select+Build recipes

<table data-card-size="large" data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th></th><th></th><th></th><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><h3><span data-gb-custom-inline data-tag="emoji" data-code="1f4cb">📋</span> Managing recipes</h3></td><td></td><td>Create and manage OS Select+Build recipes within your organisation:</td><td><a href="managing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-create-a-new-recipe" class="button primary">Create a new recipe</a></td><td><a href="managing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-find-my-os-selectbuild-recipe-library" class="button primary">Find my Recipe Library</a></td><td><a href="managing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-check-whats-in-a-recipe" class="button primary">Check what's in a recipe</a></td><td><a href="managing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-delete-a-recipe" class="button primary">Delete a recipe</a></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-recipes/managing-os-select+build-recipes">managing-os-select+build-recipes</a></td></tr><tr><td><h3><span data-gb-custom-inline data-tag="emoji" data-code="270f">✏️</span> Editing recipes</h3></td><td></td><td>Edit your OS Select+Build recipes to improve your recipe library:</td><td><a href="editing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-edit-the-name-of-my-recipe" class="button primary">Edit the name of a recipe</a></td><td><a href="editing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-edit-the-description-of-my-recipe" class="button primary">Edit the description of a recipe</a></td><td><a href="editing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-edit-a-recipe" class="button primary">Edit a recipe</a></td><td></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-recipes/editing-os-select+build-recipes">editing-os-select+build-recipes</a></td></tr><tr><td><h3><span data-gb-custom-inline data-tag="emoji" data-code="1f4d4">📔</span> Sharing recipes</h3></td><td></td><td>Share OS Select+Build recipes with external organisations to improve collaboration:</td><td><a href="sharing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-share-a-recipe" class="button primary">Share a recipe</a></td><td><a href="sharing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-accept-a-recipe-shared-with-me" class="button primary">Accept a shared recipe</a></td><td><a href="sharing-os-select+build-recipes#how-do-i-reject-a-recipe-shared-with-me" class="button primary">Reject a shared recipe</a></td><td></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-recipes/sharing-os-select+build-recipes">sharing-os-select+build-recipes</a></td></tr><tr><td><h3><span data-gb-custom-inline data-tag="emoji" data-code="25b6">▶️</span> Getting started with attribute filtering</h3></td><td>Use attribute filtering to narrow down data selection beyond the feature type level, creating bespoke recipes of OS NGD data:</td><td><a href="getting-started-with-attribute-filtering#how-do-i-check-if-filters-are-used-in-an-existing-recipe" class="button primary">Check if filters are used in a recipe</a></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-attribute-filtering#how-do-i-add-attribute-filters-to-a-new-recipe" class="button primary">Add attribute filters to a new recipe</a></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-attribute-filtering#how-do-i-add-attribute-filters-to-an-existing-recipe" class="button primary">Add attribute filters to an existing recipe</a></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-attribute-filtering#worked-example-of-creating-a-simple-filter" class="button primary">Worked example of creating a simple filter</a></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-attribute-filtering#worked-example-of-creating-a-nested-filter" class="button primary">Worked example of creating a nested filter</a></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

## Things to remember

{% hint style="success" %}
You can:

* Delete a recipe
* Edit an existing recipe (i.e. add or remove themes / feature types, or change attribute filtering or data schema versions)
* Edit the name or description of a recipe
* Create multiple data packages from a single recipe
* Delete a data package
* Search through your organisation's recipes in the OS Select+Build Recipe Library using the recipe name, description, or content (i.e. themes, collections, or feature types)
* Search through your organisation's data packages in the Data packages list screen using the data package name, data package number, or product name
* Collect your data package(s) via the [OS Data Hub](https://osdatahub.os.uk/) or the [OS Downloads API](https://docs.os.uk/os-apis/accessing-os-apis/os-downloads-api)
* Share a recipe with another organisation that has access to OS Select+Build
  {% endhint %}

{% hint style="warning" %}
You can't:

* Download the contents of an OS NGD data package using the grouped file function
  {% endhint %}

## :new: What's next?

Once you've created your recipe, you'll need to add a data package to receive the data. Data packages allow you to select the format, update frequency and area of interest for the required data. The following guide will help you to create a data package from your new recipe:

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><h4><span data-gb-custom-inline data-tag="emoji" data-code="1f4da">📚</span> Getting started with data packages guide</h4></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-data-packages">getting-started-with-data-packages</a></td></tr></tbody></table>

You might also like to try creating one of our recommended recipes:

<table data-view="cards"><thead><tr><th></th><th data-hidden data-card-target data-type="content-ref"></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><h4><span data-gb-custom-inline data-tag="emoji" data-code="1f469-1f373">👩‍🍳</span> Guides for creating OS recommended recipes</h4></td><td><a href="getting-started-with-os-recommended-recipes">getting-started-with-os-recommended-recipes</a></td></tr></tbody></table>


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