SPORTING a tweed blazer and chinos, Charles Carron Brown is a world away from the rigid formality of wing tip collars, waistcoats and coat tails of his apprenticeship.

The change in his uniform is a telling portrait of how this young man came from The Ritz to the ramble, swapping life at one of the most prestigious hotels in the world for the sleepy corner of south Cumbria.

Charles insists he is part of a whole gang of hospitality turning their back on the big smoke to the county’s thriving, Michelin star-spangled food and drink scene.

And the 27-year-old, head sommelier at Grasmere’s Forest Side hotel, is already making waves in the world of wine. Not bad for a university dropout.

"Towards the end of school and sixth form I suddenly became really interested in hospitality, so I went off to the university.

"About six months in, I quit. I wasn't finding it very interesting. I was 19 or 20 and I wanted to go to off the big city, so I went and got a job as a waiter at a hotel."

That hotel was The Ritz. The famous five-star venue in London which has been the home of the very highest society for more than a century.

It seems like a remarkable stroke of luck for so young a man, but Charles insists he had to start at the very, very bottom.

He said: "I was a comme waiter, which is definitely the lower ranks. We did things like polish the cutlery. It was definitely the first step on the ladder.

"It was hard work, definitely, but in my mind it was an honour to be serving guests in one of the most famous hotels in the world."

It was his first job which planted the (grape) seed in his mind about a potential career path.

He said: "I'd always drank beer and never really paid that much attention. Then the head waiter introduced me to all of these amazing wines, and I've been obsessed with it ever since."

During his year and a half there, he soaked up as much expertise as possible in the hope that he might one day join the ranks of one of the most enviable professions on earth - the sommelier.

“I tasted a lot of wine; I did an incredible amount of reading; I tried to learn as much as possible,” said Charles.

Back then, before Google was the fountain of all wisdom, he was entirely ignorant of the fact that a close family connection suggested his fate was sealed all along.

For it was only when that he discovered his late godfather, Kit Stevens, described upon his death as ‘one of the world’s most popular and knowledgeable professionals’ in the business.

“I think I’d only met him once, when I was four or five, and sadly he died before I really got to know him,” said Charles.

“To me, he was a friend of my parents, but he was a crucial figure in the importing of Australian wine in the UK.”

After almost two years at The Ritz he landed a job as a comme sommelier. Beginning at the bottom again, but this time with a fresh determination to rise through the ranks. He went on to work at renowned restaurants in London before Cartmel’s L’Enclume came calling with an offer of assistant head sommelier.

Its reputation as one of Britain’s best restaurants, and, indeed, as a major player on the global foodie stage, made it impossible to resist. He has been loving Lake District life ever since.

He said: “After a year and a half at L’Enclume I was considering going back to London, but then the chance to be head sommelier here came up and I decided to stay.”

That chance was at the Forest Side in Grasmere, part of the Wildsmith Hotels group, with a dining room which could soon join the ranks of the prestigious group of Michelin stars in the South Lakes.

The wine list changes every week and in accordance with seasonal changes.

Despite cutting his teeth amid the strict stuffiness of The Ritz, he is passionate about taking the formality out of the world of wine.

Charles said: “I think a lot of people are put off by this idea that it is somehow pretentious to talk about wine. That’s why I try and get rid of all that at Forest Side. It should be open to everybody.

“Taste is all down to the individual. I prefer to have a conversation with a person, ask the right questions, rather than bombard them with information or try to get them to have something they might not like.”

And he’s proven he has the formula for success, as he was recently invited to be a judge in the annual Sommelier Wine Awards 2017. Over six days, 150 judges tasted more than 3,000 wines from around the world, before dishing out awards to the best. Charles describes it as a career ‘highlight’.

Does such an honour not tempt him back to the bright lights of the capital? Not one bit.

Charles said: “A lot of things are going on up here and Cumbria has established a reputation as a foodie destination. People are willing to travel very long distances to come and try it and it’s only getting bigger. It’s exciting to be a part of that.

“I don’t think I could actually live in London again. I love it here. The fresh air, the scenery. I have realised how lucky I am.”

Top tips on your tipple

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions - Charles says: “No-one should look at a wine list in a restaurant and panic. Ask the waiter what they taste like; tell them what you like.”

• Take the £10 or £20 challenge - Charles often visits the supermarket armed with one note and one mission, to try a new wine. He reckons there are plenty of quality reds, whites, roses and sparklings on the shelves at a decent price which will help you understand your likes and dislikes more.

• Ignore the myths - Some say that ‘real’ wine drinkers prefer red. Not Charles. He says everyone has different tastes, and enjoying white definitely isn’t a sign your tastebuds less sophisticated. Another myth is that all homegrown wine is bad, but not according to this sommelier, which might come as a relief if Brexit has us all turning to English plonk.