Afternoon tea in Winchester – fabulous places to enjoy tea and cake

There’s so much to see and do in Winchester but if you fancy taking a break from sightseeing, there are some excellent venues for a traditional afternoon tea in Winchester. Whether you’re looking for a luxury hotel for your tea and cake or you prefer a more traditional tea house experience, there is plenty of choice in Winchester. I’ve also included a couple of places which serve a cream tea – ideal if you’re on a budget or want to reign in your appetite.

Ensure you pre-book your Winchester afternoon tea – this is essential at most venues.

Thank you to Lainston House for the lovely cover image in this article.

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Where did the tradition of afternoon tea come from?

Apparently it was the Duchess of Bedford we have to thank for this English tradition. She needed a mid-afternoon pick me up to tide her over until dinnertime. I’m not sure she had the elaborate confections which we now expect – sandwiches, scones and cakes – but she started the ball rolling, and we’ll be forever grateful.

Looking for other things to do in Winchester? Check out my guide to Hampshire for more ideas.

If you fancy making a weekend of your trip to Winchester, I’ve put together a collection of family-friendly places to stay in Hampshire.

Afternoon Tea at Lainston House

Located a few miles from the centre of Winchester, this hotel is set in spacious grounds and offers a luxury afternoon tea in a lovely setting. You have the choice of dining inside or outdoors.

Afternoon tea with gardens in background — Lainston House afternoon tea

Luxury country house hotel
Rural setting
£££
Option to pay extra for bubbly

Find out more about afternoon tea at Lainston House

Winchester Cathedral Café cream tea

The café at Winchester Cathedral (formally called the Refectory) doesn’t do a full afternoon tea but it does offer cream teas with no advance booking required. There is indoor and outdoor seating too. This is perfect if you’d prefer not to spend too much or over-indulge.

Cathedral café
City centre setting
£

The Ivy Winchester Brasserie

This popular chain of restaurants has some very tempting cakes on its afternoon tea menu. The Ivy brasserie is in a great location in the centre of the city, just a five minute walk from the cathedral.

Modern brasserie style restaurant
City centre setting
£££
Option to pay extra for bubbly

Find out more about Winchester afternoon tea at the Ivy

Hotel du Vin Winchester

Another popular chain, the Hotel du Vin is also well located in Winchester, close to the cathedral. However, unlike the Ivy, you can choose the lighter cream tea if you don’t fancy going all out with sandwiches and cake.

Modern hotel restaurant
City centre setting
££-£££
Option to pay extra for bubbly

Find out more about afternoon tea in Winchester at the Hotel du Vin

Winchester Royal Hotel

If you want to be in the heart of the city but dine outdoors, this hotel is in a great location, five minutes from the Cathedral. Afternoon tea can be taken in the Garden Restaurant or in the garden itself.

Traditional hotel
City centre setting
££
Option to pay extra for bubbly
Outdoor seating available

Find out more about afternoon tea at the Winchester Royal Hotel

Audrey’s Tearooms

This looks like a good old fashioned tea room offering a range of afternoon teas including gluten free and vegan. You can opt for a cream tea or go for the full afternoon tea at Audrey’s.

Traditional tea room
City centre setting
£-££

Find out more about Audrey’s Tea Rooms

The Winchester Hotel & Spa

This looks like a pretty good value afternoon tea. The hotel is rather uninspiring looks-wise but it’s in a good location and it’s perfect if you’d like a spa and cake combo!

Modern spa hotel
City centre setting
££
Option to pay extra for bubbly

Find out more about afternoon tea at the Winchester Hotel and Spa

Forte Kitchen

Although this article is about afternoon tea – the sandwiches/scones/cakes affair – I have also included a few special places such as Forte Kitchen – which do a cream tea rather than the full monty.

Forte Kitchen has various cakes on its menu in case cream tea is not enough and it also has a licence so you can supplement your tea with a glass of bubbly. The privately owned Forte Kitchen is located right in the city centre.

Contemporary independent restaurant
City centre setting
£-££
Option to pay extra for bubbly

Find out more about Forte Kitchen

Cobbs at Winchester

This popular farm shop sits to the north east of Winchester, close to Abbots Worthy. I’d imagine that the ingredients in a Cobbs afternoon tea will be top-notch given their passion for local, quality produce.

Farm shop café
Village setting
££
Option to pay extra for bubbly

Find out more about afternoon tea at Cobbs Farm Shop

Chocolate cream tea at Chococo Winchester

Funky chocolate shop
City centre setting
£

As you might expect, this Winchester afternoon tea is one for chocoholics. Hot chocolate, chocolate chip scones plus clotted cream and sea salt caramel. Yum.