My main concern is enough lighting regardless of the cost. The bulb they make us use do not put out enough light for me. I think I would go with recessed lights, the big blubs like you see outside, halogen bulbs are not to expensive now. Recessed lights are not especially the in thing, but I value light more than I do style. My home is 8 years old and the builder put those in the kitchen and they are high enough you are never looking at a bare bulb. Just make sure they are close to the wall so they are not over your head casting your shadow over your work space.

I don't like the pendant lights because my kitchen overlooks the back yard and I wouldn't want anything spoiling my view. I personally think they look silly. If you get pendants for that window they could be short enough not to block the view and deep enough not to see the bulb unless you looked up.

check the price of the led bulbs before you decide.

Emma I'd love to be able to use recessed lights, but we don't have enough depth for them. The tops of the housing would rise above the top of the shelf. Cost isn't really an issue at this point, I agree that light output is the most important thing. I'm just trying to figure out how to get enough light in the space I have available.

How about a small track light, such as the JT series? Apparently, there are are a variety of different light heads you can put on it. Here's one:

Here is a link that might be useful: Retro 1 Light Adjustable Accent Light with Mesh Shade for HT Track Systems

It's hard to see, but it looks like you have three recessed lights overhead. Are there bulbs in them yet? Does the shelf block the light from the recessed? I think with the three recessed, the large focal light, and LED pucks you should have ample light. It might be best to get some pucks to experiment with before you recess to be sure you're happy.

I would never let the cost of LED bulbs shy me away from them.