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More needs to be done to protect sportswomen from the abuse of power from coaches and other key figures in their professional life, Judy Murray has said. While the tennis coach, and mother of Wimbledon stars Andy and Jamie Murray, welcomed measures taken within the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) – which recently appointed a director of safeguarding in an increased effort to protect professional athletes from predatory coaches – she said further action is needed in the industry as a whole. “I think it’s up to all of the individual governing bodies to have someone in that head of safeguarding role that, whether you’re a coach, a parent, a player or in sports science, when you see something or if something happens to you, you know that that’s the group you go to, that’s the person you speak to, it will be treated in confidence but there will be action taken from it,” Murray told PA Media. “I think we’ve all seen a lot of brushing under the carpet over the years. And often you don’t know who to go to, and even if you do go to someone, you’re concerned: ‘Is it going to affect my selection for the team or my funding?’” The former Scottish No 1 player and long-time coach, 63, was speaking while promoting her debut novel, The Wild Card. The book centres on a fictional professional tennis player, who is manipulated by her coach during her earlier career as a 17-year-old into a sexual relationship, fearing that he will ditch her if she doesn’t comply. “For me, having been round the women’s tour, it’s a very male-dominated domain in terms of the coaches and you realise that the young players in particular, they’re travelling all the time, they’re away from home, the coach becomes a crutch, not just a coach. You actually assume a parent role, a friend role,” Murray added. “It’s very easy for players to become dependent on coaches, and fall into something that they don’t really understand and feel they can’t get out of.” She said she welcomed the wider awareness created by athletes who have come forward about their own experiences, citing the case of multiple Olympic gold medal-winning US gymnast Simone Biles, one of many women sexually abused by former team doctor Larry Nassar (who was subsequently jailed for 40-plus years). “Over the last few years, we’ve seen examples in several sports of players/performers telling about what’s happened to them in terms of abuse of trust and abuse of power, none more so than Simone Biles and other gymnasts with the US doctor, which went on for years,” said Murray. “It [the US gymnasts’ case] encouraged more people to speak out, and highlights the need for ensuring that those in positions of power within sport are suitably qualified, vetted and insured, and also that somebody is accountable to somebody else. “It makes such a big impact when top athletes like Simone Biles speak out about what’s happened to them,” Murray continued. “And it gives confidence to others to come out and talk and to share, and it is about raising awareness. “But at the end of the day, you can raise awareness, but you need somebody to act on that. And that is starting to happen, but it’s probably still in its relative infancy.” The Wild Card by Judy Murray is published by Orion, priced £14.99. Available now. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Nearly half UK adults believe LGBTQ+ representation important in storytelling – study What to wear to Glastonbury this year 11 ways to work white into your interiors

When is a Waldorf salad not a Waldorf salad? When it’s almost a pudding – and there’s not a lettuce leaf in sight. This simple side salad of celery, walnuts and apples was invented in 1893 at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. While it’s been subject to many reinterpretations over the years, the Forest Side’s head chef Paul Leonard garnered a Michelin star for his take on this classic dish. Arriving in a delicate and crisp stewed-apple tart case that takes no less than 72 hours to create, it’s filled with a creme fraiche cake, walnut brittle, dehydrated grapes and confit celery. Walnut, celery and apple gels are also added, along with a Granny Smith apple skin sorbet, all topped with a walnut tuile. The different flavours and texture compliment each other perfectly, creating an unforgettable sweet and sour flavour bomb that continues to linger long in the memory. This petite morsel of food forms part of Leonard’s eight-course Michelin-starred menu at the Cumbrian hotel and restaurant, which was named the Best Country House Hotel of the Year in the 2023 Good Hotel Awards. In addition to the star, it’s also been awarded four rosettes, ranked number nine on Square Meal’s annual list of the UK’s 100 best restaurants and reached the top 30 of Harden’s Top 100 of the Best UK Restaurants. Which is a long way of saying that there’s plenty of justifiable interest in this superb family-run operation and that it’s been a good 2023 for the team. And it’s far from Leonard’s first culinary rodeo. Having cooked under Marcus Wareing and Andrew Fairlie, the Hull-native retained a Michelin star at The Isle of Eriska on the west coast of Scotland, before heading up the luxury Devonshire Arms in Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire, where he won four rosettes for his cookery. In 2019, he joined the team at the Forest Side. Here, the emphasis is very much on making the most of this sensational landscape, in both aesthetics and taste, with Leonard aiming to source 90 per cent of produce from within a 10-mile radius of the establishment. Handily, an extensive and original red brick Victorian walled garden is home to many of the ingredients rustled up by the team, including saffron, courgettes, tomatoes and an “unofficial” apple orchard that boasts 300 different types of apple. And what a successful collaboration it is. Guests arrive in the light and airy dining room, which looks out to the red-squirrel-occupied garden and dramatic fells. Reclaimed timber and steel tables sit aside a central sommelier’s table crafted from a windblown tree in the grounds. But instead of the buttoned-up atmosphere that often permeates restaurants of this calibre, the familiar sound of classic anthems – think Fleetwood Mac, The Kinks and Pulp – floods through the space, extinguishing any sense of forced propriety. It’s an intentional move initiated by Leonard and a welcome one more restaurants could learn from: a relaxed room of toe-tapping patrons is significantly happier than one with a reverential silence. Snippy waiters with clipped accents have no place here. At the Forest Side, staff seem genuinely delighted to be there, arriving with smiles and warm inflections. Under Leonard’s leadership, junior chefs present each course and it’s a genuine pleasure to see their passion for and pride in the food they’ve created. Proceedings kick off with a trio of “snacks”: a rhubarb and whipped chicken liver tart, a Hafod cheddar gougère, and a croustade of brown buttered shrimp. The gougère is scrumptious – buttery and nutty and blanketed with a slice of bresaola – while the whipped chicken liver is smooth and rich. Kohlrabi with cured and lightly smoked trout is served with a salsa verde made from garden herbs and cured trout roe, while a unctuous broth is made from pork fat, seaweed and mushrooms. “Beetroots cooked in their own juice all day” might not seem like the kind of dish to set hearts aflutter, but this isn’t any old root veg. The humble vegetable is cooked all day in its own juice before being dehydrated to create a fudgy texture, and served with a chamomile-infused yoghurt. It’s delicious. We gobble down a supple scallop, followed shortly by the most tender and rich hogget, splashed with a sauce made from confit lamb tongue, pickled mustard seeds and wild garlic buds. And the bread! Baked before each service, this milk loaf is glazed in Marmite and simply served with a butter made at the nearby Winter Tarn Dairy. This early course is luxury comfort food at its best and we’re forced to restrain ourselves for fear of spoiling our appetite. We finish off with “first rhubarb of the year”, ginger and custard, which is as delicious as it sounds: a perfect balance of sweet vanilla, sorbet and herbs. Satiated, we make the easy trip upstairs to our room, one of 20 at the hotel, all of which have garden views and make the perfect end to our decadent dining experience. Is there still a place for fine dining restaurants during a cost-of-living crisis? As employers and buyers, producers and supporters of local food, they’re invaluable to the economy, while for gastronomes who wish to splash some cash treating themselves or someone else, they’re a luxury much like a pair of tickets to see Beyoncé or a championship football match. Overheard snippets of conversation among fellow guests reveal birthday treats or anniversaries, of a weekend away from the grind to relax in this glorious gothic mansion house amidst the fells. Whatever the reason, a trip to the Forest Side is quite simply sublime. A four-course dinner menu costs £85pp, while an eight-course dinner menu costs £130pp. A four-course lunch menu costs £55pp, while an eight-course lunch menu costs £85. Wine pairings come in flights of four, six or eight and start from £75 per person. B&B and dining packages are also available - visit theforestside.com for more information. Read More Showstopping BBQ main dishes for a hot grill summer 7 TikTok food hacks that actually work Saltie Girl in Mayfair will make you happy as a clam – as long as you can afford it Chef Ravinder Bhogal: Vegetables are the secret to saving money How to make tomato confit with whipped feta Kataifi: A comforting Greek pie full of veggie goodness

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