London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 16, 2025

Dubai: These two pilots deliver tasty meals from the 'cloud'

Dubai: These two pilots deliver tasty meals from the 'cloud'

Peaford and Sen were among the pilots who were laid off when Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the aviation sector.

When Covid struck, pilots Tom Peaford and Bedant Sen had to shift gears — so from flying up in the sky, they’re now whipping up healthy meals in a cloud.

Peaford and Sen were among the pilots who were laid off when Covid-19 wreaked havoc on the aviation sector. But, instead of waiting for the next job opening, they launched Gourmate, a meal delivery service where dishes are prepped and packed from a cloud kitchen in Dubai.

The duo, who flew 2,600 hours each in their seven years with Air Arabia, left the Sharjah-based budget airline in search of better career prospects, only to get the worst news for any pilot amid the pandemic.

“We were offered jobs at a leading airline in the UAE. I joined them in March 2020, and Tom joined them in April. It was in the early stages of Covid-19 when we joined them. However, after being put on leave, we were eventually let go from the airline in May due to pandemic-triggered job cuts,” explained Sen.

For Peaford, losing the job couldn’t have happened at a worse time, he said. “My older son is just a year old, and my wife and I had just had our second son.” Fortunately, his wife, a teacher, went back to work to support the family.

Instead of waiting around to be re-hired into the aviation sector — which Peaford predicted could take anything between a week to another year — the duo decided to pool their savings and launch Gourmate. The service offers a range of comfort dishes that customers can place on social media and the company website gourmate.ae.

“In the years we spent at the (Alpha Aviation Academy in Sharjah), we’d also grown to become close friends. We’ve also been wanting to do something like this as a means for supplement income,” said Sen.

While a pilot’s job is very specific, it comes with a plethora of soft skills.

“We are trained to work well under pressure, we have excellent time management skills, and we just decided to use these skills to build something that is ours,” said Peaford.

Sen grew up and completed most of his education in the UAE, while Peaford, who owned several farm shops in the UK, moved to the Emirates to pursue a career in aviation.

“I have a background in the food and beverage industry, and this is a popular food delivery system in the UK, so we decided it would be good to bring it to the UAE,” said Peaford.

“Also, the airline kept us on their employee visas for a few months. That gave us the time to plan the business model, work on product development, perfect the recipes, and get ourselves licensed. We spent five months researching the market,” Sen added.

The pilot-entrepreneurs believed their service is perfect for the UAE market “where so many people get caught in the rut of ordering fast food and takeaways”, he said. “We want to give people a healthier option. The customer feedback so far has been incredible.”

How does Gourmate work?

The dishes are seasonal meals made by professional chefs, and there are five different vegetable servings in each dish.

“We believe in sustainability, so most of our ingredients are locally sourced. However, in case we cannot find them here, we purchase them from the UK,” said Peaford.

The business operates out of a cloud kitchen in Dubai, where dishes are prepped, packed, and blast frozen. “Each meal pack has a validity of six months. Since its blast froze, the nutrients from the food are not compromised,” Sen explained.

Presently, the Gourmate menu offers dishes such as beef bourguignon, butter chicken, chilli con Carne, classic fish pie, Thai chicken curry, lamb hot pot, lasagne, roasted vegetable and chickpea curry, to name a few.

“Once the order is placed, the food is delivered to residents’ homes in two to three hours,” he added.

The duo is constantly adding new dishes to the menu and experimenting with diet plans such as low-carb and keto. Sen and Peaford and working towards partnering with retail outlets. “In our hearts, we will always be pilots. But, even when we go back to flying, our job offers us the flexibility to pursue our business,” he added.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
The New Life of Novak Djokovic
The German Owner of Politico Mathias Döpfner Eyes Further U.S. Media Expansion After Axel Springer Restructuring
Suspect Arrested: Utah Man in Custody for Charlie Kirk’s Fatal Shooting
In a politically motivated trial: Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Plotting Coup After 2022 Defeat
German police raid AfD lawmaker’s offices in inquiry over Chinese payments
Turkish authorities seize leading broadcaster amid fraud and tax investigation
Volkswagen launches aggressive strategy to fend off Chinese challenge in Europe’s EV market
ChatGPT CEO signals policy to alert authorities over suicidal youth after teen’s death
The British legal mafia hit back: Banksy mural of judge beating protester is scrubbed from London court
Surpassing Musk: Larry Ellison becomes the richest man in the world
Embarrassment for Starmer: He fired the ambassador photographed on Epstein’s 'pedophile island'
Manhunt after 'skilled sniper' shot Charlie Kirk. Footage: Suspect running on rooftop during panic
Effective Protest Results: Nepal’s Prime Minister Resigns as Youth-Led Unrest Shakes the Nation
Qatari prime minister says Netanyahu ‘killed any hope’ for Israeli hostages
King Charles and Prince Harry Share First In-Person Moment in 19 Months
Starmer Establishes Economic ‘Budget Board’ to Centralise Policy and Rebuild Business Trust
France Erupts in Mass ‘Block Everything’ Protests on New PM’s First Day
Poland Shoots Down Russian Drones in Airspace Violation During Ukraine Attack
Brazilian police say ex-President Bolsonaro had planned to flee to Argentina seeking asylum
Trinidad Leader Applauds U.S. Naval Strike and Advocates Forceful Action Against Traffickers
Kim Jong Un Oversees Final Test of New High-Thrust Solid-Fuel Rocket Engine
Apple Introduces Ultra-Thin iPhone Air, Enhanced 17 Series and New Health-Focused Wearables
Macron Appoints Sébastien Lecornu as Prime Minister Amid Budget Crisis and Political Turmoil
Supreme Court temporarily allows Trump to pause billions in foreign aid
Charlie Sheen says his father, Martin Sheen, turned him in to the police: 'The greatest betrayal possible'
Vatican hosts first Catholic LGBTQ pilgrimage
×