Chris and Jeff Galvin have come a long way since they first launched Galvin Bistrot de Luxe in 2005. The Galvin name has become synonymous with superb French bourgeois cooking in the capital, and more recently, the brothers have branched into gastropub cuisine, winning awards for their refined take on classic pub grub.

Taking over The Green Man near Chelmsford is more than just another string to the brothers’ bow, it’s a return home. Though Chris was born in Romford, younger brother Jeff was actually born in Chelmsford, and the two grew up in Brentwood just twelve miles down the road. And with head chef Daniel Lee at the helm – who worked at Galvin La Chapelle for three years previously – the food has never been better.

Like the superb Galvin HOP in London’s Spital square, the menu sticks to honest pub food with a refined touch. The brothers’ signature Gallic cuisine – confit duck leg with puy lentils and garlic sausage, for example – makes an occasional appearance at Galvin Green Man, but the majority of the food is British, with fish pie, bubble and squeak, sausage and mash and a ploughman’s lunch all featuring on the menu.

The pub at Galvin Green Man is just as important as the restaurant, serving a wide range of craft ales from Essex’s many microbreweries. To call Galvin Green Man a gastropub might be a misnomer – it’s just a proper English country pub, with simple things done right.