The best winter projects to start in December are the ones that do their work while you are doing something else. A country wine set going before Christmas will be drinkable by early spring, a batch of spiced rum takes under a week from bottle to glass, and a golden pottery repair fills one dark evening and leaves something on the shelf for years.
December is an odd month for making things. The first three weeks are chaos and the last ten days are strangely empty, which is exactly the shape a good project wants: a short burst of activity, then a long stretch of waiting punctuated by the occasional check. Here are three worth starting, arranged by how long they take to reward you.
Why is December a good month to start something slow?
Partly because of the calendar, and partly because of the weather. A fermentation begun in mid-December matures through the two dreariest months of the British year and is ready at roughly the point where the evenings start to stretch again, which is a much better payoff than anything you could buy in the January sales.
There is also a practical argument. Most slow projects need somewhere warm and steady, or somewhere cool and dark, and a house heated all day for two weeks over Christmas is unusually easy to find both in.
The trick is to pick the right mix. One long project so that February has something coming, one quick project so you get a result while the enthusiasm is still fresh, and one evening project for the night when nobody wants to watch another film.
The long game: country wine that lands in spring
Hedgerow wine, sometimes called country wine, is the classic slow winter make. It takes 8 to 12 weeks from start to glass, most of which is simply waiting while it ferments and matures, so a batch started in December arrives in late February or March.
Our Hedgerow Wine Making Kit includes a recipe table covering a huge range of fruits, from blackberry and elderberry to apple, plum and rhubarb, and everything you need to ferment is in the box. You supply the fruit and ordinary white granulated sugar in the quantities the table gives, plus a few bits of equipment: a 5L food-grade plastic bucket with a lid for the vigorous first fermentation, a 5L demijohn or second bucket with an airlock for the second, kitchen scales, a siphon tube and some bottles. Reused screw-top wine bottles are perfect.
December is not a foraging month, which is where frozen fruit earns its place. It works well and is often cheaper, you just need to defrost it thoroughly and let it come up to room temperature first, otherwise the brewing liquid will be too cold for the yeast to get going. Canned fruit is the one to avoid: the flavour disappoints, the syrup makes sugar levels hard to judge, and many brands contain preservatives that stop fermentation entirely.
Keep the fermenter somewhere with a steady temperature, away from cold draughts and direct sunlight, and not in the garage. The yeast is happiest between 22 and 27 degrees, though a consistent spot matters more than an exact number. Each batch makes a gallon, about 4.5 litres, or six standard bottles, which is a rather good return on one December afternoon.
The quick win: spiced rum in under a week
If the wine is the project for March, spiced rum is the one that pays out before New Year's Eve. It takes about 72 hours to infuse, then 2 to 3 days to settle and clear, so under a week per batch from start to finish.
The Spiced Rum Making Kit makes two 700ml batches in two different flavours, a Captain's blend of classic pirate spice and a Jamaican ginger with a proper ginger zing. You add a 700ml bottle of inexpensive dark rum per batch, and it should be plain rather than already spiced, since the spicing is the kit's job.
The method is pleasingly simple. Clean the jar with warm water, add a spice sachet and the rum, and leave it somewhere cool and dark for 72 hours, tasting now and then with the pipette. When it is spiced to your liking, filter out the spices with the cotton filter, let it settle for 2 to 3 days, filter again through the cleaned filter, then bottle and label it. The second filter is what takes it from homemade-looking to properly clear, because fine sediment drops out during the settling days.
You are in control of the strength throughout. Leave the spices in longer for a bolder rum, filter sooner for a gentler one, and if you overshoot, a splash of plain rum softens the batch. Bottled, it should be drunk within a year, kept sealed and out of direct sunlight.
The evening project: a golden repair
Some projects are not about waiting at all. Kintsugi, the Japanese craft of mending broken ceramics with golden seams, takes about an evening of unhurried work plus a day of curing, and it turns a dark December night into something rather satisfying.
The idea is that the crack is celebrated rather than hidden, which is the wabi-sabi principle of finding beauty in imperfection. Our Kintsugi Repair Kit swaps the traditional lacquer for a two-part epoxy, and includes gold-effect powder, a mixing card and spreader, and two china practice bowls so you can find your technique before going anywhere near something you care about. Practise first. Everybody who skips that step wishes they had not.
Mix equal amounts of part A and part B and combine them thoroughly, which is the step that decides whether the repair cures hard. Apply a thin, even layer to clean, dry edges, press the pieces together and hold each join for 30 to 60 seconds before moving on, then brush the gold-effect powder along the seam once it has set. Thicker glue gives a bolder vein, a sparing layer keeps it delicate, and the line is yours to design.
Two honest limits. The adhesive is not food-grade, so a repaired piece is decorative rather than crockery, it is not waterproof, and it never goes in the dishwasher. A mended bowl makes a perfect home for tea lights instead. The glue is strong stuff, so work in a well-ventilated room with the gloves on, keep it away from children, and read the safety notices in the booklet first.
Winter project FAQs
Which project should I start first if I only pick one?
Start the wine, because it is the only one with a fixed 8 to 12 week clock. The rum and the kintsugi can be slotted in whenever an evening appears.
Can I make country wine in winter without foraged fruit?
Yes. The recipe table covers apples, plums, rhubarb and more, and defrosted frozen fruit works well as long as it comes up to room temperature before it meets the yeast.
How warm does homemade wine need to be kept?
The yeast is happiest between 22 and 27 degrees. A steady spot indoors, away from draughts and direct sunlight, matters more than hitting an exact temperature, so avoid the garage.
How long does a batch of spiced rum take?
About 72 hours to infuse, then 2 to 3 days to settle before the second filter, so under a week per batch. The kit makes two batches in two flavours.
Does a kintsugi repair need to be baked or fired?
No kiln and no oven. The repair simply needs to be left alone while the glue cures fully, which takes around 24 hours.
Fancy giving winter something to do? Browse our make your own kits.
