But and ben is an architectural style for a simple building, usually applied to a residence. The etymology is from the Scots language for a two-roomed cottage, The term has been used by archaeologists to describe a basic design of "outer room" conjoined with "inner room" as a residential building plan; the outer room, used as an antechamber or kitchen, is the but, while the inner room is the ben.
Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald was born in a but and ben cottage in Lossiemouth, Scotland.
The Broons own a but and ben in the country where they take holidays. In 2008, Waverley Books published a But an' Ben Cookbook.