Rob Burgeman, investment manager at Brewin Dolphin, said:

Portfolios invested in shares can be like gardens. They need regular pruning, and highly successful plants can quickly dominate their overall appearance. 

Mrs Craggs’ portfolio is dominated by Empyrean Energy, which accounts for around 13pc of its value. That looks risky to me. 

This stock has a market capitalisation of just £71m, is focused on energy resource exploration and has a share price of around 11p. It has no major institutional shareholder, which is another sign of a speculative investment. 

That is not to dismiss what has been a highly successful investment: Mrs Craggs has more than doubled her money in this holding. But, as the old adage goes, “it’s not a profit until it’s in your pocket”.

In terms of pulling £150,000 from the portfolio, I would look to reduce some of these more adventurous holdings. If Mrs Craggs wants to continue investing in smaller companies, there are many investment trusts that specialise in this space. She already owns BlackRock Throgmorton Trust, but we would also suggest the Odyssean Investment Trust, which invests in private companies.

I think the portfolio would benefit from international diversification. Many consumer products that we see are from international companies with good growth prospects, and can offer exposure to sectors that we struggle to access via British stocks. 

This can range from luxury goods, such as LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, sportswear from Nike, soft drinks from PepsiCo and online shopping from Amazon. Mrs Craggs mentioned an interest in biotechnology, where we favour the International Biotechnology Trust and the Biotech Growth Trust.