Wet Wet Wet were breaking records in the charts, Four Weddings And A Funeral was charming cinema goers and a pack of minced beef would set you back just 55p.
The year was 1994. The same in which now Michelin-starred restaurant St John Smithfield first opened its doors in the Barbican.
To celebrate three decades in business the eatery is rolling back prices to the same level they were when it began serving customers all those years ago.
This means a plate of apricots on toast is just £3.70 instead of the usual £10.20 while deviled kidneys on toast is £8.80 instead of £27.
Unsurprisingly, the huge disparity in prices was not just a feature of eating out with everything from the cost of the world’s most expensive footballer to buying a house remarkably cheaper by modern standards (although the average annual salary was just £12,900).
With that in mind, MailOnline has compiled a list of everyday items and how much they cost back then. Some may come as quite a surprise.
House prices in 1994 were much more affordable, with the average in UK being £51,362 in 1994 and £88,000 in London. Today, the average house in the UK costs £260,791 and an eye-watering £523,000 in London.
The beloved Freddo was also a measly 10p, a third of what it costs now across some supermarkets
A sandwich cost just 89p
Mince meat cost just 59p in 1994
A pint of bitter would set you back £1.41 30 years ago
Among some of the most shocking revelations is how much the price of minced beef has increased in the last thirty years.
A 250g pack of minced beef, the cheapest on offer in Tesco, costs a whopping £2.19, which is almost four times that which it did in 1994.
The beloved Freddo was also a measly 10p, a third of what it costs now across some supermarkets.
Outside of the retail world, the most popular car in the UK in 1994 was the Ford Escort and a brand new model that year would cost £22,050.
Fast forward to 2024 and Ford still hold the title for the most popular car in the UK – this time it is the Ford Fiesta that takes the top spot. Buying a new model today will cost £24,499. Which represents only a small increase over the past 30 years.
In the footballing world Gianluigi Lentini, who played for A C Milan in 1994, was the most expensive footballer in the world and he was worth £13m.
In 2024, the most valuable footballers in the world are – Jude Bellingham, Erling Haaland, Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe and all four are each worth a astonishing £152m.
The price of a pack of 20 cigarettes has also seen a dramatic increase going from £2.40 in 1994 to £15.85 today.
Meanwhile, in 1994, a plate of apricots on toast at St John Smithfield was just £3.70 (today it is £10.20) while devilled kidneys on toast was £8.80 (today it is £27).
The most popular car in the UK in 1994 was the Ford Escort and a brand new model that year would cost £22,050
In the footballing world Gianluigi Lentini, who played for A C Milan in 1994, was the most expensive footballer in the world and he was worth £13m
The price of a pack of 20 cigarettes has also seen a dramatic increase going from £2.40 in 1994 to £15.85 today
St John Smithfield, in Barbican, is celebrating its 30-year anniversary
Today the restaurant features on the world’s 50 best restaurants list chosen by the 50 Best Discovery database
The anniversary menu at St John Smithfield will include crispy fried pig tail, bacon and mash and Welsh rarebit.
The restaurant will also offer commemorative merchandise to celebrate the 30-year anniversary.
The menu will be available on weekdays between September 9 and 27.
Today the restaurant features on the world’s 50 best restaurants list chosen by the 50 Best Discovery database.
Mr Gulliver told The Times: ‘We are going to enjoy this little moment with those close by that really matter and those that we need to say a big thank you to.
‘They are the same, our St John folk and our customers across the years. I hope that we’ve found a good solution […].’
