Twenty-five years of the gastropub – a revolution that saved British boozers

As the Eagle in London marks a quarter of a century of informal food and mismatched furniture, all hail the gourmet pub. Plus: 10 of the best in the UK today

Children always think the truly primitive thing about the last century was not having the internet, but actually, holding the sum of human knowledge in the palm of your hand has its ups and downs. If you want pure progress, an uninterrupted path from a bad place to a better place, you should consider the gastropub.

Before the Eagle opened on a corner in Farringdon, London, a quarter of a century ago this month, eating was different and drinking was different. The gastropub revolution has been chiefly held to have improved pubs, rescued us from a life of pork scratchings and wet sandwiches toasted in their bags, but it was of immeasurable benefit, too, to gastronomy.