Afternoon Tea in Medway: Where to Book, Checked October 2026

The afternoon teas most Medway people book are at Café Nucleus, served from 3pm at its Chatham and Rainham cafés; Lenny’s on Rochester High Street and in the gardens of Eastgate House; Nutmegs Patisserie in Rainham, which makes everything in house; and the £25 teas at Fort Amherst’s Cannon Café and Bridgewood Manor. Every entry was checked against the venue’s own website on 27 October 2026.

We have not had afternoon tea at these places for this guide, and none of this is a review. Each entry gives what the café or hotel says about its afternoon tea and what it publishes about prices, times and booking. We have added the Food Standards Agency hygiene rating, and we say where any other fact comes from. Prices are as shown on the venues’ sites and menus on 27 October and change often.

Rochester

Lenny’s of Rochester

Lenny’s is a café, bakery and patisserie at 145 High Street, which its site calls “our flagship patisserie and bakery”. Afternoon teas are sold through its online booking page: the Lenny’s Café Afternoon Tea is £55 for two, £82.50 for three and £110 for four, and there are children’s cream teas, a birthday afternoon tea and a vegetarian afternoon cream tea. It also makes afternoon teas to take home, and hires out a top-floor room for baby showers and birthday parties. Open Monday to Sunday 8am to 5.15pm, bank holidays to 4.15pm. Call 01634 402227. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 20 November 2025). 145 High Street, ME1 1EL.

Lenny’s of Eastgate

The second Lenny’s café sits in the gardens of Eastgate House, the Elizabethan house just off the High Street. Its site describes it as dog-friendly and child-friendly, with a smaller menu than the High Street branch, and says it is fully licensed. Its booking page lists a Sparkling Afternoon Tea at £80 for two, £120 for three and £160 for four, along with the café afternoon tea, children’s cream tea and vegetarian cream tea. Open Monday and Wednesday to Saturday 9.30am to 4pm; closed Tuesdays and Sundays. Call 07427 091167. Hygiene rating 4 (FSA, 6 November 2025). Eastgate Cottage, High Street, ME1 1EW.

Chatham

Café Nucleus, Chatham

Café Nucleus Chatham is the group’s garden café off the High Street in Kentstone Court, which its site describes as a place to “enjoy fantastic food amongst the palm trees, tree ferns and tropical flowers”. It lists “Afternoon Teas in Comfort” from 3pm, Monday to Sunday, at £28 a head. The same page gives opening hours of 9.30am to 3.30pm on weekdays and 9.30am to 5pm on Saturdays, so confirm your time when you book through its site. It says it is wheelchair friendly, that dogs are welcome and that there is a public car park nearby. Call 01634 406971. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 26 February 2026). 272 High Street, ME4 4BP.

The Cannon Café, Fort Amherst

The Cannon Café is inside Fort Amherst, the Georgian fortification above Chatham run by the Fort Amherst Heritage Trust. Its afternoon tea menu is £25 a head, with unlimited Prosecco for £15 more: finger sandwiches (honey roast ham and Dijon mustard, egg and cress, cream cheese and cucumber, tuna mayonnaise, Cheddar and caramelised onion chutney), a fruit scone with clotted cream and strawberry jam, Victoria sponge, a lemon drizzle cupcake and a mini brownie, with unlimited tea and coffee. The menu on the site is headed Summer 2025, so check it is current when you book online or on 01634 847747. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 28 January 2025). Dock Road, ME4 4UB.

Bridgewood Manor Hotel, Walderslade Woods

Bridgewood Manor is a hotel and spa in Walderslade Woods. Its site offers afternoon tea as a gift or for a celebration, and its Squires Bar page says the bar serves a traditional afternoon tea. The menu prices the traditional afternoon tea at £25 a head: smoked salmon and cucumber, chicken mayonnaise, Cheddar and tomato chutney and egg and rocket sandwiches, then a brownie, mini sponge and chocolate délice, with a choice of tea, coffee or hot chocolate. Two extra warm scones are £3.50 and a 20cl bottle of Prosecco £12.50. Book on 01634 201333 or reception@bridgewoodmanorhotel.com. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 15 October 2026). Walderslade Woods, ME5 9AX.

Gillingham and Rainham

The King Charles Hotel, Brompton

The King Charles Hotel on Brompton Road says on its afternoon tea page that its gardens and reception lounge with garden views make it “an ideal setting for afternoon tea throughout the year”. Its sample menu has finger sandwiches (honey roast ham and wholegrain mustard, egg mayonnaise, chicken and sweetcorn, Cheddar and red onion chutney), homemade scones with jam and clotted cream, finger desserts and unlimited tea or coffee. It says the menu can be adapted for most diets, including gluten free, with vegetarian and vegan menus on request. It does not publish a price: call the events team on 01634 830303 or email kch@fcdhotels.co.uk. Private afternoon tea parties need at least 15 guests. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 12 August 2025). Brompton Road, ME7 5QT.

Café Nucleus, Rainham

Café Nucleus Rainham is in the Langton Studios on the High Street, and its site lists “Afternoon Teas in Luxury” from 3pm, Monday to Sunday, at £40 a head. It says the downstairs is wheelchair friendly, dogs are welcome and there is a public car park nearby. Open Sunday to Thursday 9.15am to 5pm, Friday and Saturday 9.15am to 10pm; book through its site or on 01634 406971. Café Nucleus gift vouchers cover afternoon tea at any of its cafés. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 21 January 2026). 35a High Street, ME8 7HS.

Nutmegs Patisserie, Rainham

Nutmegs is a patisserie and café on Rainham High Street whose afternoon tea page says its teas are “created and crafted in house, using locally sourced produce”, with a selection that changes with the seasons. There are two: the Classic and the Signature. Its menu, headed Summer, prices the Signature, with a prawn cocktail, sausage roll, salmon blini and cheese scone among the savouries, at £32 a head, and the traditional-style tea with finger sandwiches at £26. Both come with fruit and plain scones, homemade jam, clotted cream, one hot drink and one soft drink. Booking only, through Favourite Table; gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and children’s teas on request. Call 01634 238637. Hygiene rating 5 (FSA, 9 July 2026). 67b High Street, ME8 7HS. Our listing.

How we chose

We started with the Medway tea rooms, cafés and hotels that come up again and again when people look for afternoon tea, in Visit Medway, booking listings and local guides. We kept only those whose own websites publish an afternoon tea with prices, a menu or booking details, so each entry could be checked. Fleur de Thé on Rochester High Street was left out because its address, 134 High Street, is now registered to Café Lounge on the Food Standards Agency register, and Café Nucleus Rochester because it is closed after a fire. Tiny Tim’s in Rochester and Dobbies at Rainham were left out because we could not check an afternoon tea menu on their own sites. Every place here has a hygiene rating of 4 or 5 on the FSA register, checked on 27 October 2026.

Run a place that should be here, or spot something that has changed? Email newsdesk@medwaylive.co.uk.

For more places to eat and drink, see our guides to brunch in Medway, Medway restaurants, Sunday roasts in Medway and Medway pubs. For a day out, try walks near Medway, Medway playgrounds, things to do in Medway and what’s on in Medway this month, or browse the cafés in our Medway business directory.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the cheapest afternoon tea in Medway?

The Cannon Café at Fort Amherst and Bridgewood Manor Hotel both list a traditional afternoon tea at £25 a head. Lenny’s of Rochester sells its café afternoon tea at £55 for two, and Café Nucleus Chatham lists £28 a head.

Do I need to book afternoon tea in Medway?

Yes, at most places. Nutmegs in Rainham takes afternoon tea bookings only, Lenny’s sells its afternoon teas through online booking, and Café Nucleus asks guests to book. Bridgewood Manor and the King Charles Hotel take bookings by phone.

Which Medway afternoon teas cater for gluten-free or vegan diets?

Nutmegs offers gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan and children’s afternoon teas if you ask when booking. The King Charles Hotel says its menu can be adapted for most diets, including gluten free, with vegetarian and vegan menus on request, and Lenny’s sells a vegetarian afternoon cream tea.