I can think of no better way to articulate how we cook and eat in Venice than to open the doors to my kitchen and extend an invitation

I can think of no better way to articulate how we cook and eat in Venice than to open the doors to my kitchen and extend an invitation. That is how I got to know Ben Tish, the chef director behind London’s Salt Yard restaurant group, which specialises in Italian and Spanish tapas and charcuterie. Ben approached me about his plans to open the group’s ffth restaurant, a Venetian-inspired grand cafe in central London. His vision, he explained, was to capture the faded grandeur and rich history of Venice. ‘We wanted something more opulent than our other restaurants,’ he said. I was intrigued.

When I discovered that Ben was coming to Venice with his business partner Simon Mullins, in the name of culinary research, we decided that we had to cook together. We would shop at the Rialto market, go toe to toe with the pushy nonne in the queue for the vegetable stall, and carry the shopping back

Meanwhile, peel the courgettes (skin and fesh) into full-length strips. Discard the cores or use them in another dish.

Place a large sauté pan over a medium heat. Melt the butter, then add the garlic and prawns and cook for two minutes. Add the courgettes and peas and cook for a further two minutes before adding the wine. At this stage, plunge the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to the packet instructions.

Continue to cook the courgettes and peas until the wine has reduced by half. When the pasta is cooked, drain it (reserving some cooking liquid) and toss it into the sauté pan. Pour in the oil and toss well, ensuring everything is coated. Add some pasta water if the sauce appears to be too thick. Season to taste and then serve immediately.

Clockwise from top left Polenta cicchetti with baccalà (salt cod); at the market; bigoli pasta with courgettes, fresh peas and prawns; a bridge in the Castello district, near McAlpine’s home