• in a stock pot or Dutch oven add a little olive oil and saute the onions and leeks till they soften about 3-5 minutes, add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add a handful or so of the potatoes and cover with the chicken broth and bring to a boil cooking over medium heat till the potatoes are tender. Using a potato masher break up these potatoes, it will help thicken the soup even more. Then add the carrots, celery and rest of the potatoes cook over medium heat till the veggies are tender. Note you don't need to cook the potatoes in batches as I did, I just wanted to mash up some of them to thicken the soup.
• Add the ham and season with salt and pepper to your liking. Keep in mind depending on what cheeses you are using, some are more salty that others just keep that in mind so you don't over salt it.
• in a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour and cook stirring constantly until it thickens. Slowly add the milk whisking all the time to avoid lumps. Increase the heat to medium and continue stirring until it thickens about 4-5 minutes.

making the roux

• Remove from the heat and add the shredded cheese and stir until it melts. Add this to the soup and cook until everything is heated through. Serve warm.