A Tale of Christmas Joy

A Tale of Christmas Joy

By J F Hornby

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Index

Seasons Greetings The Snowman’s Christmas Parade Hornby’s Festive Fayre Denise’s Happy Snowman Cupcakes Roland’s Cranberry Burst Mince Pies Joanne’s Classic Gingerbread Cookies Sue’s Festive Stollen Luke’s Winter Berry Warmer Esther’s Clementine Christmas Cheer Spreading Joy the Hornby Way Calendar

Seasons Greetings The festive period is upon us - and this year, the team at JF Hornby & Co bring you something a little different.

This Christmas book is our way of delivering a little joy to your home or business. On the pages that follow, you’ll find a story of business hope, some of the team’s favourite festive recipes, and a look back at the role our team has played in the community over the last year.

The Christmas period is a time to reflect on what truly matters - community, resilience, and the spirit of togetherness.

This year has brought challenges for many, but it has also shown the strength we share when we stand side by side.

Community means everything to us – so we’re delighted to announce we will again be funding Christmas and Boxing Day dinners for guests of the Furness Homeless Support Group.

Nobody should spend Christmas alone, and it’s humbling to be able to play a small part in ensuring that is not the case.

As a team, we want to say a heartfelt thank you for your continued trust and support.

Your partnership means everything to us, and we look forward to navigating another year together - building on what we’ve achieved and embracing the opportunities ahead.

We hope these pages bring a smile to your face and remind you of the warmth and connection that define this special time of year.

From all of us at JF Hornby, we wish you peace, happiness, and a bright start to 2026.

Together, we will continue to grow, support one another, and make the year ahead one to remember.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

The JF Hornby Team

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The Snowman’s Christmas Parade

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On a shelf, in a shop, in the centre of town, sat a cute snowman teddy with a miserable frown.

He used to be happy when he and the toys, were frequently visited by young girls and boys.

But internet shopping, Black Friday and all, were having an impact on high street footfall.

This once bustling shop was now dusty and empty.

Gone were the days of its customers aplenty.

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Poor Mary the owner was a picture of woe. Her taxes were rising and business was slow.

“Oh, what can I do,” said Mary in tears. “The shop hasn’t been this quiet in years.”

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She called her accountant; he was terribly nice; a wonderful chap who gave super advice.

“Mary,” he said with a most concerned frown, “We need to take action, your profits are down.”

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They looked at her income, her costs and her stake and decided the next month would be make or break.

“We need something big, a magnificent scheme,” exclaimed Mary as she started to dream.

Together they hatched the most wonderful plan, that involved the poor, lonely teddy snowman.

“We’ll make him the star of the Christmas Parade,” said Mary - and so the decision was made.

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She got straight to work and built snowman a sleigh that was covered in lights for the big festive day.

She dusted him down and then stuck him on top: “This will get children back into my shop!”

Parade day arrived in the blink of an eye. “I hope it goes well,” said Mary with a sigh.

She loaded her sleigh and set off for the start, with everything crossed and a quick pounding heart.

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The high street was brimming with people and laughter.

Could this be the start of happy ever after.

Suddenly fingers were pointing one way, to a teddy sat proudly atop Mary’s sleigh.

“A snowman, a snowman,” said children with glee.

I hope Father Christmas will bring one for me.

“Visit my shop,” shouted Mary with joy. “The snowman lives there and he’s my favourite toy.”

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The next day arrived to a hullabaloo, for outside of the shop was a long noisy queue.

Children and parents, grandma and grandpop, were desperate to get inside Mary’s Toy Shop.

Mary was shocked, in a state of surprise and barely able to believe her eyes.

She opened the door to applause and great cheers, ready to enjoy the best Christmas in years.

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The toy shop was packed and the till kept on ringing, snow fell outside and a choir was singing.

“I could not have asked for anything more,” said Mary as she finally closed the shop door.

The business was saved, it was wonderful news, she called her accountant to give him his dues.

And as Mary whispered ‘well done’ to herself, the snowman was smiling from up on his shelf.

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Hornby’s Festive Fayre

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Photo Credit: Rafael Titoneli

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Denise’s Happy Snowman Cupcakes For the Frosting 200g unsalted butter (softened) 400g icing sugar 50g cocoa powder 2–3 tbsp milk For Decoration White fondant (for the snowman face) Orange fondant (for the carrot nose) Blue fondant (for the hat) Black fondant or edible pearls (for eyes)

For the Cupcakes (Chocolate Base) 125g unsalted butter (softened) 125g caster sugar 2 large eggs 100g self-raising flour 25g cocoa powder ½ tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 2 tbsp milk

Method The Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Line a 12-hole muffin tin with red cupcake cases. Beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Fold in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add milk for a smooth batter. Divide mixture into cases and bake for 18–20 minutes. Cool completely.

The Frosting: Beat butter until creamy. Gradually add icing sugar and cocoa. Add milk until smooth and pipeable. Pipe a swirl of frosting onto each cooled cupcake.

Create the Snowman Topper: Roll white fondant into discs for the face. Shape a small orange cone for the nose.

Cut blue fondant into a semi-circle for the hat and add details. Add eyes using black fondant or edible pearls. Assemble on top of the frosting.

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Photo Credit: Eleanor Wright

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Ingredients

Roland’s Cranberry Burst Mince Pies

Pastry: 225g Plain flour 125g cold unsalted butter (cubed) 50g icing sugar 1 egg yolk 2-3 tbsp cold water

Fillings: 300g mincemeat 50g dried cranberries (or lightly cooked fresh cranberries with sugar) Zest of 1 orange ½ tsp ground cinnamon (optional for extra warmth)

Glaze: 1 egg (beaten) A little caster sugar for sprinkling

Method Make the pastry: Sift flour into a bowl, rub in butter until it looks like breadcrumbs.

Stir in icing sugar, add egg yolk and water gradually until dough forms. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Prepare tins: Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan). Grease a 12-hole tart tin.

Roll and cut: Roll pastry to 3mm thick. Cut 12 circles for bases, press into tin. Mix mincemeat with cranberries, orange zest, and cinnamon. Spoon filling into cases (don’t overfill).

Creative lids: Roll remaining pastry and cut festive shapes (stars, holly leaves) into your lids. Or go crazy with a lattice finish. Place on top, brush with beaten egg, sprinkle sugar.

Bake: Bake for 15–20 minutes until golden. Cool slightly before removing.

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Photo Credit: Taryn Elliot

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Joanne’s Classic Gingerbread Cookies Ingredients 350g plain flour 1 tsp baking soda 2 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground nutmeg 125g unsalted butter (softened) 175g light brown sugar 1 large egg 4 tbsp golden syrup For Decoration: Royal icing or white writing icing

Method Make the dough: Sift flour, baking soda, and spices into a bowl. In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and golden syrup, mix well. Gradually add dry ingredients to form a dough. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Shape the cookies: Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Roll dough to about 5mm thick on a floured surface. Use a cutter to create your gingerbread cookie shapes.

Place on a lined baking tray.

Bake: Bake for 10–12 minutes until firm and lightly golden. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Decorate: Pipe royal icing for faces, buttons, and details. Let icing set before serving.

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Photo Credit: K Zoltan

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Ingredients

Sue’s Festive Stollen

Dough: 500g strong white bread flour 75g caster sugar 1 tsp salt 1 packet (7g) dried yeast 200ml warm milk 100g unsalted butter, softened 1 large egg Zest of 1 lemon

Filling: 200g mixed dried fruit (raisins, sultanas, currants) 50g chopped candied peel 100g chopped nuts (almonds or hazelnuts) 200g marzipan (rolled into a log) 2 tbsp rum or brandy Coating: 50g melted butter Icing sugar for dusting

Method Mix the yeast with warm milk and a teaspoon of sugar. Let it sit for 10 minutes until frothy.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest, and softened butter. Add the yeast mixture and egg, then knead into a smooth dough.

Cover and let rise in a warm place for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough and knead in dried fruits, candied peel, nuts, and rum.

Roll out the dough into a rectangle, place the marzipan log in the center, and fold the dough over to encase it.

Transfer to a baking tray lined with parchment, cover, and let rise for another 30 minutes.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (160°C fan) for 35–40 minutes until golden and cooked through.

While warm, brush with melted butter and dust generously with icing sugar.

Cool completely before slicing. Store wrapped in foil for up to 2 weeks.

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Photo Credit: Muhammad Asif

Luke’s Winter Berry Warmer

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Ingredients

Method

250 ml mixed berry juice (cranberry, raspberry, or blueberry blend) 50 ml red wine (optional for extra depth) 25 ml spiced rum or brandy 1 tbsp honey or maple syrup 1 cinnamon stick 2 star anise 2 cloves 1 thin slice of orange Fresh berries for garnish (optional)

In a small saucepan, combine berry juice, wine (if using), honey, and spices.

Warm gently over low heat for 10 minutes - do not boil.

Remove from heat, stir in rum or brandy.

Strain into heatproof glasses or mugs.

Garnish with orange slice, cinnamon stick, and a few fresh berries.

Photo Credit: Tim Douglas

Esther’s Clementine Christmas Cheer Ingredients

Method

Cocktail 50 ml dark rum or bourbon 25 ml orange liqueur - Cointreau or Triple Sec 60 ml fresh clementine or orange juice 10 ml cinnamon syrup (see below) 2 dashes Angostura bitters Ice

Fill a shaker with ice. Add rum or bourbon, orange liqueur, clementine juice, cinnamon syrup and bitters.

Garnish Clementine wedge Small rosemary sprig Optional - splash of ginger beer for sparkle

Shake for 10-12 seconds until well chilled.

Strain into a rocks glass over fresh ice.

Garnish with the clementine wedge and rosemary. Add a splash of ginger beer if you like a bit of festive fizz.

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Spreading Joy The Hornby Way

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Delivering a festive feast

Through the Hornby Foundation, we strive to make a positive and lasting difference to our communities by pledging financial support through our grants scheme.

Over the course of the year, our board of trustees meet to make decisions on funding applications and we're delighted to have helped hundreds of organisations over the last decade.

The Foundation accepts grant applications from charities, not-for-profit organisations and community interest companies, and it also supports local schools and sports clubs.

One of the highlights in the last 12 months was providing a grant to cover the cost of food for the Furness Homeless Support Group’s Christmas meal.

Our team hit the shops to buy everything the amazing volunteers needed to make Christmas Day special for those in need of support.

Furness Homeless Support Group are, quite simply, an amazing group of individuals, giving their time freely over the festive period.

We’re delighted to announce that this year, we have agreed to provide funding for both Christmas Day and Boxing Day meals.

The illustration here shows our team on a mission for festive turkey from a local supplier.

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At the heart of the community

Earlier this year, our 12-month drive to provide defibrillators to areas of Furness where cover was limited or non existent came to an end.

From parks to community centres, local phone boxes to sports clubs and high streets to isolated villages, our Have a Heart campaign set out to make a real difference.

Our mission was simple - to make the towns, villages and communities we serve a little safer for the people who live in them.

We hope the defibrillators installed as part of our campaign are never needed. But it is peace of mind to know they are there, just in case.

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Supporting wonderful causes

Our Have a Heart campaign reached every corner of the areas we serve, but our trustees were keen to ensure the Foundation's impact stretched even further.

More than £30,000 in grant funding has been pledged over the past year, and it has been our pleasure to support some remarkable causes.

From vital inshore rescue services to school book clubs, from sports club kits and accessories to trips for children with special educational needs, we’ve done our level best to help wherever we can.

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Many of the projects, clubs, charities and organisations we’ve supported are building a legacy for the future. It’s a privilege to play even a small part in helping those ambitions become reality.

With 2026 on the horizon, our commitment to our communities will not waver. We know times are tough and funding is increasingly difficult to secure.

But we’ll be with you, shoulder to shoulder, helping to ensure our towns and villages continue to thrive.

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