ABOVE: The legendary Cucina Caldesi off Marylebone Lane

We split into pairs and each took a starter, a main and a dessert. Ours was the main, Pollo alla Pancetta, an apparently simple dish which nevertheless involved quite a bit of tricky manoeuvring.

After wrestling with cocktail sticks for a good five minutes, Caldesi came to the rescue, expertly pinning strips of pancetta round chicken breasts oozing with gorgonzola cheese.

Then it was time to prep the squid rings, before settling down in time-honoured style for a glass of white wine as Caldesi regaled us with stories about the school, the restaurant and his favourite dishes.

One of these is strawberry risotto (Risotto alle Fragole), an offbeat concoction of rice, vegetable broth, onions, grated Parmigiano and fresh strawberries.

It made for a surprisingly tasty starter, combining a creamy texture with a bittersweet tang. The class ended on a flamboyant note, with Caldesi exercising his blow torch skills on the crème brûlées, with the odd small fire along the way.

Enjoy Caldesi's recipes including Padron peppers with chorizo and seafood polenta, below.

Bertolli has been searching for the UK's favourite Italian delis and trattorias with the Bertolli Spread Olive D'Oro Awards. The awards celebrate 50 years of Italian food in the UK. Go to bertolli.co.uk to see the winners.

Recipes

Crispy squid with garlic & paprika mayo (serves 2)

Cooking with Caldesi