Shaun Dickens says that opening his own riverside restaurant has been a real journey

Three years ago this month, Shaun Dickens at the Boathouse first opened its doors. This had always been my dream; I now know how lucky I am to be living it.

Shaun Dickens at the Boathouse is situated on the banks of the River Thames in Henley-on-Thames. We are a modern British restaurant, passionate about quality ingredients, served with skill and care. I like to think that what we do at the restaurant hasn't so much changed in the last three years, but instead has evolved. I have learnt that one may think they have the best idea in the world, but, when put into practise, sometimes it just doesn't work. We have had to be strong enough to adapt, to say “no, let's try again.”

We have discovered who we are as a restaurant, and I couldn't be prouder of my team. Some have been with me from the start, some come and go, but we all stick to the core values of the restaurant; great food, great service, great value. We learnt that by having fun with what we do, it makes the tough times easier to deal with. We try not to take ourselves too seriously, and I believe that flows into the food and service style we offer. We have become more confident and take more risks, which I love. We work so hard at what we do, we may as well try to push the odd boundary once in a while.

Owning a restaurant is hugely different to what I imagined. It's got all the good bits I hoped for, but not for a second did I think I would become a dab hand at painting, plumbing, gardening, carpentry, and most forms of DIY. In a business of this size, something always breaks just when you don't need it to, so you learn to deal with sticky situations as quickly and effectively as possible. The flood of early 2014 was a perfect example of that. We had been open less than a year, everything was going great, and then a mini flood closed the restaurant for a few days. We thought we had a lucky escape, carried on, until that fateful day - Saturday 8th February. 50 covers in the restaurant, and then in comes the Thames.

It wiped us out for 3 months.

I still remember the feeling when the builder told us how long it would take to dry, to refurbish, and my heart sunk. I, along with my team, my family and my wife, had been up 23 hours, bailing water out of the restaurant, trying to save it, but it did no good.

But we refused to die. It forced us to open on a paddle steamer moored outside the restaurant for a month; it was testing but so, so much fun. It is still the toughest time of my career, and in the restaurant’s history, but strangely I wouldn't change it - it made us stronger.

Since then, we have been fortunate as a restaurant to win some fantastic awards. This is such a moral boost for the team, validation for what we do, and shows that hard work pays off. My two favourite awards were the Restaurant of the Year 2014 at the Oxfordshire Restaurant Awards, and, Best of Britain Award, given by Tatler Magazine for the best restaurant outside London. We didn’t expect either; to be honest, we were simply looking forward to a great party at both, but to win was truly special.

We are getting ready for what will hopefully be a busy spring and summer, and bringing in new and exciting offerings for our deck and restaurant. It's important not to stand still; we will always keep working hard. I was always told growing up to dream big, so that's what I did. What I wasn’t told was how hard you have to work to achieve it. The restaurant industry takes over your life if you let it, but, to be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. It is the most rewarding job I know.

I hope to cook for you soon.