Michelin-starred chef helps raise £275,000 for… | Royal Free Charity

Michelin-starred chef helps raise £275,000 for new surgical robot

31 October 2025 
Three male chefs wearing glasses lined up at a restaurant pass. The chef closest to the camera is moving meat from one plate to another.
Mark Edwards, Roger Pizey and Richard Corrigan hard at work in The Portrait kitchen 
Michelin-starred chef Richard Corrigan hosted a glittering dinner at his National Portrait Gallery restaurant, The Portrait, raising an incredible £275,000 for the Royal Free Charity’s appeal to fund a new life-saving surgical robot. 

The event was held in aid of the Royal Free Charity (RFC), enabling it to fund a second da Vinci Xi surgical robot to help cancer patients at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust (RFL).

The cause is a deeply personal one for Richard, one of the UK and Ireland’s best-known chefs. In 2024, following a diagnosis of kidney cancer, Richard underwent a seven-hour surgery to remove the tumour, performed by urological consultant, Ravi Barod, using the sole surgical robot at the Royal Free Hospital.

“I was more than glad to support the Royal Free Charity in getting another surgical robot. When I was at my lowest, it was my surgeon and his team, along with that remarkable bit of kit, that gave me real hope. If I can help someone else get that same chance, then I’m absolutely delighted to do it.”

– Richard Corrigan 

RFL is the UK’s second largest – and London’s largest – cancer treatment centre, receiving 66,000 urgent cancer referrals per year. With the number of cancer patients ever increasing, the trust faces rising demand for robotic surgery to help patients with the most aggressive forms of cancer. The charity has been fundraising to bring an additional surgical robot into the team. Thanks to the generosity of supporters, the charity has so far raised £1.7million towards the £2million appeal.

Guests enjoyed a four-course feast created by Richard and friends – Nobu’s executive chef Mark Edwards and Fortnum & Mason’s head pastry chef, Roger Pizey – featuring dishes such as ballotine of guinea fowl, seared salmon sashimi and lemon tart. After dinner, Richard recounted his own journey with cancer – and how surgical innovation helped save his life.

The Royal Free Charity extends its thanks to Richard Corrigan and Searcy’s for sponsoring the event. Richard runs four London restaurants – The Portrait, Bentley’s Oyster Bar and Grill, Corrigan’s Mayfair, Daffodil Mulligan – and Virginia Park Lodge in Co Cavan, Ireland.

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