1. A dishwasher having a washing cycle, the dishwasher comprising: a washing compartment for accommodating items to be washed by the washing cycle, said washing compartment having an inlet valve; a control device to carry out the washing cycle to clean the items to be washed; a recirculation pump to recirculate washing liquor present in the washing compartment; an electric motor to drive the recirculation pump; and a true running monitoring unit configured to execute a true running test to monitor at least one electrical operating parameter of the electric motor to determine whether or not the recirculation pump is running in true mode, the true running monitoring unit being configured to generate an output indicating whether or not the recirculation pump is running in true mode based on a result of the true running test and being configured to communicate the output to the control device, wherein the recirculation pump is running in the true mode when there is sufficient washing liquor in the washing compartment to prevent air from being sucked in by the recirculation pump, and the control device is configured to: open the inlet valve to fill the washing compartment with washing liquor; activate the recirculation pump during a fill phase of the washing cycle; execute an algorithm which increments the speed of the recirculation pump by a value in accordance with the output of the true running monitoring unit until a predetermined final speed of the recirculation pump is reached, the value being set to a predetermined initial positive value and the value being set to less then or equal to zero when the true running monitoring unit indicates that the recirculation pump is not running in the true mode and the value being incrementally increased each time the true running monitoring unit indicates that the recirculation pump is running in the true mode until the predetermined initial positive value is reached; and close the inlet valve when the predetermined final speed is reached.