Shaun Dickens takes a trip on the river for a Henley regatta dinner this weekend

With spring in full bloom and summer well on the way, my team and I at Shaun Dickens at the Boathouse find ourselves once again creating a pop-up restaurant on board the New Orleans on the River Thames.

While this time we intend to celebrate and soak in everything the Henley Regatta has to offer by staging this special event on Sunday, our first adventure serving food on the river was under very different circumstances.

As many of our friends and customers will know, at the beginning of 2014, we fell foul of Mother Nature and the power of the Thames when it flooded through our restaurant, shutting us down for over four months.

But my team, being the dedicated, determined bunch they are, helped me pick up the kitchen, literally carried it over the footpath, and in partnership with Hobbs of Henley, set up ship on their flagship New Orleans sternwheeler, a glorious luxury liner.

It was while on board that we had the pleasure of finding out we had been named Tatler Magazine’s Best of Britain at the Tatler Restaurant Awards 2014, their prize for the best restaurant in the country outside London.

We are offering a unique way to experience Regatta Finals Day on Sunday. We are providing a three-course lunch on a beautiful river cruise, serving a special menu from The Boathouse aboard one of the most atmospheric boats on the River Thames, all while taking in our magnificent local surroundings. The boat will launch at 1pm, returning at around 4pm, and the trip includes canapés on deck, a glass of Prosecco, a three-course lunch with chef’s appetisers and a three-hour river cruise, while watching the culmination of the most glamorous, famous regatta in the world.

For those of you whose sea legs are perhaps not what they once were, we also can’t wait for what lies in store during the summer months all back on dry land.

With a stunning deck just a stone’s throw from the banks of the Thames, we offer our guests the perfect spot to soak in the atmosphere of the regatta while enjoying everything they could possibly need: a glass of champagne with our breakfast menu; a light and seasonal lunch accompanied by a local beer; or a relaxed dinner with perfectly matched wine.

We will be running our lunch, à la carte and tasting menus all week, but have also adding a breakfast menu, available from 9am to 11am until Sunday.

As if that wasn’t enough, this year the Henley Festival has also attracted some phenomenal acts and will certainly be bigger than ever. We have put together a fantastic pre-festival menu for you to enjoy before heading down to indulge in the entertainment. The two-course menu, with a glass of Prosecco, is £29.95 and available from 5.30-7pm, from Wednesday, July 8, to Sunday, July 12.

And of course throughout the summer months the restaurant will be open as usual.

The river taught us a tough lesson last winter; this summer, we intend to work with it rather than against it!

* The Regatta Finals Day on Sunday costs £60 per head.

* Shaun Dickens at The Boathouse, Station Road, Henley. shaundickens.co.uk. 01491 577937