“And don’t forget, Danny, before we put the bird in the oven, we have to lay strips of fat bacon across the breast to keep it nice and juicy. And breadsauce too. We shall have to make breadsauce. You must never have roasted pheasant without breadsauce. There are three things you must always have with roasted pheasant — breadsauce, potato chips, and boiled parsnips.” (Dahl 158-160)

Our great affection for Danny the Champion of the World is well documented; after all, the very first recipe we tried for our 36 Eggs project was from the book. For my birthday this year, I asked Jenne for a roasted pheasant dinner, according to Danny’s dad’s specifications.

Jenne’s parents live up in Julian, a little town an hour away from San Diego, in a cozy house in the country. The landscape around their home is probably the closest Southern California can come to the setting of Danny the Champion of the World. Check it out:

Here was a satisfyingly appropriate place to have our supper. Even more perfect, Jenne’s dad went to a hunter’s club and got us a pheasant himself!

DAD’S ROASTED PHEASANT SUPPER MENU

• Roasted pheasant with breadsauce
• Chips
• Boiled parsnips
• We also had Brussels sprouts because we felt the need for a bit more green on our plate.

Dahl, Roald. Danny the Champion of the World. Illus. Jill Bennet. New York: Puffin Books, 1975.