A buttery was originally a large cellar room under a monastery, in which food and drink were stored for the provisioning of strangers and passing guests. Nathan Bailey's An Universal Etymological Engl
Rochlitz Castle, Germany, basement wine cellar, perhaps providing an idea of the mediaeval buttery
Wine bins in the undercroft of Norton Priory, near Runcorn, Cheshire, an example of a wine storage area in a historic domestic setting
The classic layout of an important mediaeval house, showing three doorways to service rooms, Old Rectory, Warton. These doorways are here seen from inside the Great Hall, but would originally have been hidden by the wooden screen of the screens passage. The central doorway leads into a passage to an outside kitchen. The other two doors are to the pantry and buttery
The buttery is typically located close to a dining hall as in this example from Haddon Hall, Derbyshire; ground plan from 1886
A larder is a cool area for storing food prior to use. Originally, it was where raw meat was larded—covered in pig fat—to be preserved. This method slowed spoilage by sealing out air, bacteria, and mo
A pastry larder at The Regency Town House in Hove. A marble-topped table and deep drawers which would have contained flour and sugar allowed pastry to be made away from the heat of the kitchen.
Inside the meat safe or wet larder at The Regency Town House in Hove, Britain. Meat larders have hooks for hanging joints of meat.