Q&A: Mark Oakley
The Dean of Southwark on the meaning of Christmas, the importance of sharing food, and the joys of Boxing Day cheese
“HUMAN BEINGS ARE HUNGRY FOR RELATIONSHIPS, AND SHARING FOOD IS ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH THAT HUNGER IS FED”
What’s your history with Borough Market?
I’ve studied and then worked in London for most of my life, apart from periods in Copenhagen and Cambridge, so have known the Market since I was 18. I loved it from the minute I found myself in it. I love good food and produce, always wanting to support local growers and non-chains, so it was exciting, engaging, and a place I always brought friends and visitors.
Does the Market’s approach to food chime with your own?
I do care about supply chains, about the need for healthy and nutritious meals, especially for children, and I get very angry about food waste. I’ve always liked American food writer Michael Pollan’s comment that if it came from a plant, eat it, but if it was made in a plant, don’t. Having been visiting some food banks and soup kitchens lately, I’m also very aware of food poverty in our city and keen to think through how such a locality that celebrates food so deeply can help more.
The Cathedral and Market have been neighbours for centuries. What do you think these two historic institutions have in common?
Well, I suppose in our different ways we are both about nourishment – body and soul. It is significant that the main service in the Cathedral is based around the sharing of food – bread and wine – and that we believe that the way each receives an equal sharing at the service is how life should be outside the church doors: an equal share, with each being valued, equal in dignity and potential. When food is shared in families and among friends, it becomes more than nutrition. It is a shared symbol of togetherness that enables us to grow towards each other, sometimes with joy and sometimes in pain. Human beings are hungry for relationships, and sharing food is one of the ways in which that hunger is fed. At its best, faith is another.
What is it about Christmas in particular that makes food such an integral part of the celebrations?
At Christmas, Christians celebrate our belief that Jesus is the human face of God. Christians believe that God became human, and so understands us from within, and so Christianity takes bodies seriously. It also takes relationships seriously, and so sharing food is central to its celebration of ‘incarnation’. At a time when many are trying to be great examples of power, we need to see again the greater need for the power of example. By sharing what we have and looking out for those who do not enjoy what we do, an example is given of a kindness and generosity that society so urgently needs to reclaim.
How busy a period is this for you?
Very busy! We have so many carol services, I joke that it is “death by Little Donkey”. Seriously though, I love Christmas, especially the services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and the glass of champagne I have as soon as I get home. I toast all those I have lost in life and who meant so much. This year I lost my grandmother, who brought me up, and I will miss her deeply, as she adored Christmas too.
What are your own favourite Christmas foods? Is there anything specific you’re intending to buy from the market traders?
I love a goose at Christmas! I also really love Christmas pudding. I like some cheese on Boxing Day as I recover from lunch the day before, so I’ll be on the prowl for some nice goat’s cheese and a good bit of blue. Have a great Christmas!
