Ham and Sweet Potato Soup

I am going to make this tomorrow.  We have a surplus of ham in the house and I was looking for something a little different.  It appears that winter is going to hang on a little longer so I am going to keep cooking...who am I kidding??  When spring comes, I will continue cooking...I am looking forward to the day the little baby herb plants take their places on my deck!

5 C. chicken stock
3 1/2 C. sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
3/4 C. diced cooked ham
1/3 C. diced celery
1/3 C. finely chopped onion
1/2 C. chopped green bell pepper
1/4 C. chopped carrot
1/4 C. corn
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp.  dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
5 tbsp. butter
6 tbsp. all purpose flour
2 C. milk
3/4 C.  shredded cheddar cheese

Combine chicken stock, sweet potatoes, ham, celery, and onion in a stockpot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook until sweet potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir green bell pepper, carrot, corn, garlic, basil, parsley flakes, black pepper, and salt into soup and simmer until vegetables are softened, 5 to 10 minutes.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk flour into butter using a fork. Cook and stir mixture until thickened, about 1 minute. Slowly stir milk into butter-flour mixture until completely smooth; continue cooking and stirring over medium-low heat until thickened, 4 to 5 more minutes. Stir Cheddar cheese into milk mixture until melted and smooth.

Stir milk-Cheddar cheese mixture into soup; cook until thickened and heated through, about 5 minutes.